Eight Minutes and Twenty-Three Seconds

I have paused my film 8 minutes and 23 seconds in to mull over what I have seen and heard so far. The film is The Perks of Being a Wallflower and my impression thus far is that it is simply captivating. I am in engrossed and in all honesty, I've only paused the film because the stream needs to buffer and I don't want to watch a movie that stops and starts every minute! So let's talk about what has happened in these 8 minutes and 23 seconds that have inspired me to open a new tab on my computer and write.

I am a sucker for a well executed voice over and POBAF does not disappoint. Logan Lerman's clear yet emotive tone is a pleasant introduction to the film and I can only hope that it continues in such a way that does not feel intrusive or annoying. We discover that our leading man, Charlie, is hiding some sort of secret that happened during his last year of middle school. Of course as I am barely 10 minutes into the film I have no idea what this could have been. He mentions that he doesn't want his parents thinking he will get 'bad' again and the first image that popped into my head was of Charlie dressed as Michael Jackson for Halloween! He's an obviously intelligent young man who is an outcast striving to simply get by which is something that many audiences members will have experienced. The voice over is a clever tool that can be so easily slaughtered so it's nice when it is occasionally done right.

I was surprised that when the opening credits were rolling I recognised several names. I was particularly surprised to see Nina Dobrev and Dylan McDermott were in this film, for two very different reasons. Dylan I love and would praise nearly any role he chooses but Nina... Girl, what are you doing here? You are a vampire in a CW television series not a serious actor in a film about self reflection. Spoiler alert! Emma Watson is not in the first 8 minutes and 23 seconds of this film and I am totally fine with that. She is yet to win me over completely even though I do like her body of work. She's a bit of a weird one for me as I don't have any solid reasons for why I don't like her, I just don't. Logan Lerman, with his afore mentioned lovely clear voice, has a certain beautiful quality about him. I can never tell if it is the character or the actor that I find attractive especially when I haven't seen the actor in any other role. But so far, I am 100% on his side and even his one strange eyebrow will not change that. And to round off the cast, the wonderful Ezra Miller. Afterschool and We Need To Talk About Kevin are two of my favourite movies and both feature him as either a leading or supporting actor. I look forward to seeing what type of character this 'Patrick' is and whether or not it's similar to any of Miller's previous roles. I really hope that his popularity grows further because of this movie and I would love to see him in more and more films in the near future. I think there is something to be said about an actor who can play a raging psychopathic killer and be incredibly sexy doing so. Oh and Paul Rudd is a teacher who wants to be Charlie's friend. It was odd but I enjoyed learning where the term 'Box Office' came from so that's a thing.

So far there has only been one thing I don't like. The kids at the high school are truly awful. I know that directors, writers and everyone else on the planet want to highlight the bullying that goes on in schools but isn't this a little extreme? The whole 'bully every freshman' thing is far too over the top and, in my mind, a little ridiculous. I'm not suggesting that bullying doesn't happen and that it's not a huge issue but I have never in my life seen or heard of anything as ludicrous as a whole senior class resorting to picking on the younger classmen. Even at my school, no one liked the first years because they were annoying and had a strange sense of ownership because they had just been the oldest year group in the junior school. We would always moan about them and laugh at their huge backpacks but ultimately if we ever saw that a first year was lost, I know that I personally, would try to help them. And even when they are screaming and running into you it is never acceptable to grab their book and rip it just to be mean or teach them a lesson. Urgh, so stupid! I've never read the book but considering the author is also the director I feel that he is to blame for such a gross misrepresentation. Despite this, I am enjoying Perks of Being a Wallflower and I'm now going to un-pause and resume watching Nina Dobrev eat all of those green beans. Girl has one hell of an appetite.

Operation Neptune Spear

On Friday night I went to see the film I have been eagerly anticipating since it finished production months ago. Zero Dark Thirty. Becky, Nathan, his sister Laura and her flatmate and I arrived at a very busy Cameo for the 8 pm showing of the film based on one of 'America's greatest achievements'. The decade- long hunt and eventual assassination of one of the worlds most feared terrorists. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. An amazing cast, led by the beautiful Jessica Chastain, detailed the hard work and pressure the American government and counter terrorism teams faced in the aftermath of 9/11. Within minutes I was totally engulfed in the action on screen and soon forgot I was in a cinema full of people. The film started with a dark screen as audio of 911 calls from September 11th 2001 boomed through the speakers which seemed to surround and trap the audience. This really set the tone for a very dramatic and painful film. The silence during certain scenes was palpable as the audience waited cautiously for something else to go wrong. 

Despite reading a rather compelling article written by a real CIA analyst somewhat slating the movie, I still felt like it was a brilliant piece of work that deserves the recognition it has received. Miss Chastain was not originally up for the role of strong and ambitious Maya. Rooney Mara had the role but had to drop out which was a decision that I think has benefited and contributed to the success of the film. I have no problem with Mara but that was simply not her role. Another interesting fact that I came across was that the screenplay was actually finished before OBL was killed and was initially supposed to be a film about the unsuccessful hunt for the notorious terrorist but was rewritten after the fact. Despite being three hours long the length felt totally appropriate in relation to the subject matter, I only wish I knew how long it was before hand so I could mentally prepare myself to sit still for that amount of time.



Another surprise was the completely unnecessary appearance of John Barrowman. Anyone outside of Scotland and the UK may not understand the hilarity of his presence in such a profoundly deep film. He regularly appears in pantomime and is most famous for starring in B list movies and a Doctor Who spin off series. He also has his own, extremely camp, Saturday night television show where he starts and ends the show singing and dancing. But Barrowman aside, the film was ground breaking. And yes there are factual inaccuracies and it may give the general public an incorrect impression of national security, however, it does do one key thing right. It entertains in a thought provoking manner. Since Friday night I have read dozens of articles detailing Operation Neptune Spear and the events that led up to it. 

I have been watching documentaries and films surrounding men and women who work for intelligence agencies in an attempt to better understand their efforts to protect their own individual countries and the world as a whole. Because even though the killing of OBL has been dubbed as 'America's greatest achievement', the USA was not alone in celebrating. Agents and the general population from around the world rejoiced at the knowledge of being that little bit safer. Obviously we are never far from danger but by eliminating such an influential player from that world, we begin a new narrative that could have a drastically different level of terrorist presence. To get back to my point, this film is a stepping stone for people to explore in greater detail the activities and events that lead to such monumental moments in history. And I for one thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the film... even John Barrowman. The added bonus is of course that this is another Oscar nominated film that I can tick off my list! Meaning that I only have 5 more (in the Best Picture category) to watch before this years ceremony. I look forward to another month full of great films and outstanding performances.

The first four

As I always do around this time of year, I began watching the films that are nominated for various achievements. In particular I focus on the Oscar nominees. Award season has always been an exciting time for me (and millions of avid film lovers/creators) but seeing as I now study film and film theory as part of my course, I finally have a valid excuse to watch a hoard of new movies each week. And this year the Oscar noms are films that I really want to see! So far I have watched Les Miserables, Django Unchained, Flight and Silver Linings Playbook in that order. But before I delve into comparisons and opinions I want to make clear that these opinions are my own. You may not agree with them and that is something you are fully entitled to and it doesn't bother me one bit! But I ask that you keep an open mind to any criticisms I make. And as for spoilers, I don't plan on including any in this post but just in case if you haven't seen the four afore mentioned films maybe give this blog a miss!
Les Mis was a huge disappointment. Having never seen the stage show or read the book, I approached the film with a completely open mind like many others and prepared myself to be wowed by a story and characters that friends have described as breath taking and captivating. Unfortunately the experience I had was nothing like the experience that friends had had. I found the story to be messy and disjointed and the characters were underdeveloped. As my opinion was drastically different to those of nearly everyone else who saw the film, I decided to read a little into the creation and development of Les Miserables. I really tried to change my mind but even after reading page after page of facts and stories, I still found myself utterly underwhelmed. It is possible that my expectations were simply too high but isn't it also equally possible that the film was just 'average'. I do believe that Anne Hathaway gave a desperate performance and for that she deserves an oscar but I really hope that Les Mis does not win Best Picture. In my opinion, it is not the best film in that category.

The second film I saw was also my favourite. Actually I've gotten pretty obsessed with everything about it! Django Unchained directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino is a fantastic blend of serious and comedic. I was pleasantly surprised by certain scenes that had the audience in stitches. Naturally, as the film explores Slavery in the South, there were scenes that I found difficult to watch. In particular, the audiences first encounter with Mandingo fighters was bloody and painful to watch. I believe whole heartedly that this film deserves every single award it has been nominated for. Not only was the screenplay excellently written and executed but every aspect of the film from the actors to the carefully selected soundtrack helped pull together a truly interesting and compelling piece of cinema that I want to see again and again. Jamie Foxx was snubbed by the Academy but his performance will not go unnoticed by film goers across the world. If he hadn't already proven himself as a serious actor with Ray, this film will certainly do it. And I for one cannot wait to hear Christoph Waltz acceptance speech.

Flight starring Denzel Washington is not actually nominated for Best Picture but is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. I completely understand this decision. Whilst it is a heart wrenching story of a troubled pilot and is acted brilliantly by Washington, it did feel very familiar to films that have already been made. I enjoyed Flight in the same way that I enjoy films with Colin Firth - I could take it or leave it. I wasn't bored but I wasn't fully engaged with the characters. I don't think Denzel will win in his category but I think that even he knows that. It was a very average film for him to be involved with. But one aspect of the plot that I really 'enjoyed' was the unfortunate circumstances. The audience sees Captain Whitaker navigate through an incredibly unusual and tragic situation. We see a true hero at work. Unfortunately the aftermath of the crash sees government officials desperate to assign blame. And despite his courageous and skilled efforts he was intoxicated during the incident and has to face the consequences for that. Facing your own devils and accepting the consequences is a heavy theme in the movie that is possibly the reason for its popularity amongst audiences.
Finally, I saw Silver Linings Playbook. This film surprised me. Whilst it was still showing in cinemas I felt no inclination to go and see it. I don't know if it was the trailer that failed to capture my interest or if it was my misconceptions about Bradley Cooper in any serious role. But thankfully the movie was not what I had thought it would be. The heavy subject matter was dealt with delicately and Lawrence and Cooper make a wonderful on-screen couple. I enjoyed Robert De Niro's portrayal of Pat Sr. and overall enjoyed the experience of watching it. It could have been very easy for the film to step on the toes of other films that deal with the inner workings of a troubled mind but it managed to pave its own way. In terms of cinematography I would compare it to A Beautiful Mind. Both films have a dark wash over them but Silver Linings has breaks with light humour and conversation. Whilst A Beautiful Mind is purely drama opposed to the rom-com drama that I am comparing it to, it shows the delicacy of the mind and how fragile we are especially when our emotions go into over drive. This emotional state is seen repeatedly throughout Silver Linings Playbook. Despite my positive review of the film, I do not think that it is Best Picture material. A movie needs to really evoke an emotional response. With Django Unchained, I smiled, I laughed, I teared up, I recoiled and I gasped. But with Silver Linings Playbook I simply watched and took in the action. I was reading up on the film and its creation and discovered it was based on a book that I have now added to my 'to read' list for summer. I find books are normally better at stirring emotions so hopefully my opinion will be swayed once its read.

My first blog of the year has turned into the longest. But hey! I love films and I love to write about them. Hopefully I will have watched the remainder of the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony in late February.

'Tis the season

It is very nearly my second favourite time of year. Closely following Halloween, Christmas is a time of year that makes me happier than any other. With beautiful decorations, colder air and an abundance of food, December 25th (or more accurately, the entire month) is one of those occasions that I am grateful for. Unfortunately, my Christmas cheer has been delayed until now due to exams and important assesments for Uni. But now that my last essay has been submitted and the exam is just a faint memory I am ready to fully engulf myself in the holiday season.

My holiday preparations started with a bang on Saturday. My Mum and I decorated our Christmas tree with blue and white lights before hanging some very old and some very strange ornaments which included my personal favourite... Badass Santa on a motorbike. It's always nice to decorate your tree with ornaments that have special attachments to family members and for the Moorhouse family nearly all of our decorations have sentimental value. Whether it reminds us of a particular place or time or whether it simply reminds us of Christmas as children, decorating our tree is a happy occasion.

After spending an hour or so decorating our tree and eventually the entire house, we sat down and watched some television. One of the more familiar memories I have of Christmases past, is spending more time with my family so it was nice to talk to my Mum for longer than the 10-15 minutes that it takes for me to ask her for money or for a lift.

But my day was far from over. Nathan and his flatmates Jordan and Anna, were hosting a Christmas dinner and movie and invited me to come along. Despite the hurdles I faced (a cat refusing to move from underneath my car) I made it to the flat in one piece. They had decorated their flat beautifully! Candles, Christmas decorations and a very cute table complete with place settings. To my delight Helen, Becky, Jordon and Nathan busied themselves cooking a proper Christmas Roast accompanied by Nathan's newly discovered Bread Sauce. Me and Anna took on the role of the typical men folk and stayed in the living room having a chat. It wasn't long before we were all sat at the table enjoying a glass or two of Champagne and our well prepared feast! Conversation flowed as usual and we swapped stories about Christmas and traditions. Afterwards we all sat down to watch The Grinch and Nathan and I were the only ones still awake by the end of it. Food comas all round clearly. The Grinch is my all time favourite Christmas movie and is very high on my list of regular movies too. I could quote it all day if I thought it was at all socially acceptable.

 

Needless to say I had a very festive day and I look forward to the big day on the 25th and all the joy it brings. But for now, I need to collect some presents for my parents and make them presentable in my own particularly disordered form wrapping.

Bye bye brother

Last Thursday my family woke at 6 am to say goodbye to my older brother Sam. He's a qualified ski and snowboarding instructor and got himself a job in Sun Peaks, Canada. I am very proud and delighted for him and I'm glad that he get's to return to the place where he studied for his qualifications. Honestly, Sam has always been the restless type but he has finally found a way to do what he loves and it makes him truly happy. He'll be away for just over 6 months, which is three months longer than the last time he was there.



Unfortunately his first day didn't bring much in the way of comforting news. In an email to my Mum, he explained that his accommodation is appalling (even by his standards) and he's considering trying to find somewhere new. And to unsettle my parents further, he posted on Facebook in the early morning hours 'I miss home'. I have to say, my heart broke a little. I made no attempt to hide my excitement about his leaving. Our car would be solely mine and I wouldn't have anyone to argue with. But in light of his situation, I feel bad. I want him to have a great time and I don't like the idea that he is sad and alone on the other side of the world. Of course, give it a week and he will be as happy as can be, but for now, I worry.



I'm worried because, personally, I wouldn't be able to do what he is doing. Travelling is something that I desperately want to do after university but because I am such an anxious freak, if I were to arrive somewhere all by myself and something wasn't right I think I would panic. I know I would panic. I would likely call my mum in tears and beg her to 'fix it'. Hopefully my travels will kick out that overly dependent side of me. Still, the excitement to spend sometime on my own is overwhelming and so petrifying that I can't explain it. But like I said, Sam will be fine. He's always fine.

Dinnertime

The other night, I went to dinner with some of my friends from University. We had been meaning to do this sort of thing for a while and it felt really nice to finally get around to it. We went to The Black Bird in Toll Cross which is a modernised Pub with awful and frankly rude staff. As students, we were not picky or demanding and in fact we didn't expect excellent fine dining but what we got was outrageous. And not in a good way. But in spite of 'Kelly' and her interesting take on customer service, Helen, Becky, Nathan and I managed to have a really nice night where we could finally relax and laugh about everything and anything.

Ever since I was a little girl, I always pictured myself as a student going out for dinners, reading intellectually challenging books and living a cultured lifestyle. It's almost a little hard to acknowledge that this is what my life has become. Of course, being a grown up in real life is very different to what you imagine when you are younger. Things don't come as easily and success is not accomplished over night. In the last two years I have learnt so much about how to approach life in a positive and productive way. It's already paying off! I'm achieving decent grades at University and I've met like minded people who I am comfortable being myself around. There is such a difference between the conversations that I have now to the ones that I used to have in the playground. It is because of this that we were able to look past the waitress's disrespectful attitude and enjoy the fairly pleasant food. I'll never know how I managed to have a starter, main and a dessert! Each of us had hefty food babies!

We finished up for the Christmas holidays this week and we will be going our separate ways. We will all be working longer hours and spending more time with our families and on top of that Becky is preparing to study abroad next term. I love the holidays, especially Christmas, but I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone a little bit better this year and I will miss that interaction over the break. But hopefully this will be one of many meals out together as sophisticated adults in the near future!

I love my job

Unlike many people I know, I can truthfully say that I love my job. Working for the Gilded Balloon has been crazy, stressful and some of the happiest days of my life. The 2012 Fringe season marked my second year working for the company that has introduced some of the worlds favourite comedians into the circuit! David O'Doherty, Peter Kay, Tim Minchin and many others all found their way in the halls of the Balloon and that is something I am very proud of. I may not have been around when such legends roamed the building but since my freshman year as an eager press office assistant I have taken in the history of the company and have become an ambassador for promoting all that is great about the Gilded Balloon.

This year, I started working on the Fringe in early May. I was over the moon to be asked back and to be of use for more than just the month of August! The run up was hectic and unlike anything I have experienced. My role within the company changed a month in, which gave me more responsibility and duties. 'Administration Officer' had a much nicer ring to it than 'Press Office Assistant'. My only worry was that I wouldn't be working with the girls that I had grown so close with the previous year. But as we all reconnected in the last few weeks before the Fringe, any worries I had disappeared. As the Edinburgh Festival began and I left the security of the Press team for a new office and new faces, everything fell perfectly into place.

I quickly adopted the nickname 'little one' because of my young age. Nicknames have always found there way of sticking to me. In primary school I was know as 'Teeny' and even some of my teachers began referring to me as such. As the first few days passed I started to interact with such interesting and crazy people, that I would never have otherwise met. I was engaging with our visiting companies on a more frequent basis and I would now consider many of them my friends. 2012 was a whole new level of fun. Of course this may be directly linked to my spending more time out at night making friends and really enjoying the environment that I am lucky enough to work in. The month long festival feels like it lasts for longer when you are in such good company. Even when I found myself stressed over production runs or an ever growing 'to do' list, all I had to do was remind myself of where I work and who I get to work with. Whenever anyone asks me what it is like to work in the Fringe I always tell them: the long hours and sleepless nights are totally worth it because of the people you meet. The people are what makes my job easy.
 

As afore mentioned, I got the opportunity to reconnect with the girls that I worked with last year. With the friendship foundation already in place, I felt totally at ease with them and was able to really be myself. Rowan, Hannah 'sissy', Chrissie and Katie are amazing woman who have achieved so much and I was so happy to have them back as mentors, as a guiding conscious and as friends. Individually they look out for me and have my best interest at heart. It's like partying with your best friends but having your mum there to take care of you if something goes wrong. The GB family is very real and very strong. I even found an honorary sister in the lovely Hannah. And the icing on the cake was meeting even more people who make coming into work that little bit easier. Lindsay and Kitty in the box office were my go to for pointless conversations or distractions whenever I didn't want to work. Granted, if Lindsay was busy I would normally be told to go back to my desk and do something productive. Jen and Jess were the new additions to the press office and I'm very glad they were. I'll never know how my boss manages to gather some of the smartest and nicest girls from all over the world (let's be honest, most of them are Aussies!) and bring them to Edinburgh.

There have already been several applications for our comedy competition So You Think You're Funny for the 2013 season. This makes me very excited for my third year to commence. I'm sure my older and wiser self will make a few smarter decisions and will continue to appreciate the opportunity that she has. I love my job. I really, really love my job.