Selma Review-Super Late Film Reviews

1964: Selma, Alabama. Despite being given the right to vote, African Americans around the country are being denied said right through rigorous intimidation and unfair practices. Enter Martin Luther King Jr, played to nuanced perfection by British Actor David Oyelowo who leads the inhabitants of Selma on a tumultuous journey from Selma to Montgomery in order to secure their rights in the face such violent and prejudiced opposition. So begins Ava DuVernay’s visually beautiful, quiet exploration into the people involved with the Civil Rights movement, their relationships and their personal struggles.

As the film opens to King and his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) preparing for King to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, we in audience immediately realise this film will be big on the quiet interactions of its characters. Further reinforcing this is the innocent chatter of a group of young girls in church, chatter which is quickly cut short by what I can quite easily say was one of the most shocking scenes of violence I have ever viewed.

In the face of stubbornness from the President Lyndon B. Johnson, the fight for their right to vote is taken to Selma where before long, King and his colleagues become embroiled in a battle that completely transcends race and simply the displays the struggle for power between the oppressed and their oppressors.

Selma was certainly beautiful and intimate, with director DuVernay favouring close up shots to emphasise each character’s expression and reactions, giving a strong sense of humanity, person and realness to each individual role. In all honesty, the images that sear my mind are of the people; their emotions given more than just a cursory pan but rather a full focused moment in our sight. Unfortunately, this attention to detail meant that scenes were often protracted and bereft of enough action, often leaving the audience bored.

The standout of Selma was David Oyelowo’s performance as King.  All in all, Selma was a good film and despite it’s somewhat cliché ending (the whole end a historical/biopic film with ‘what happened after’ text writing thing is a bit done to death) and lack of real action, its great scenes redeemed it to a degree and left me thinking about it long after I walked out of the cinema.

7/10

All photos from the Selma promotional website

Super late Film Review: Kill Your Darlings

It’s quite unfortunate that I live in the middle of nowhere because that means that I never get to watch the movies I’m interested in on time. Cinemas are a pain and release dates make me cringe. Spoilers are the bane of my existence. Also, independent movies are practically a myth here.

Although somehow, I have managed to watch Kill Your Darlings directed by John Krokidas. The biopic revolves around the life of Allen’s Ginsberg and his interactions with Lucien Carr, William S. Boroughs and Jack Kerouac from the moment where Ginsberg is first dazzled by Carr and drawn into the subversive world of drugs, jazz and the beat movement to the aftermath of the murder of David Kammerer at the hands of Carr. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe and Dane Dehaan and a bloody amazing cast.

I really, really enjoyed this film. I think the most important film is allowing the person watching to forget that watching and actually getting them to believe that they’re experiencing the events and Kill Your Darlings did just that. Radcliffe was the perfect choice to play the naïve and creative young Allen Ginsberg but I think it was Dane Dehaan who stole the show, portraying the emotional struggle of the brilliant yet flawed Lucien Carr. Ben Foster’s William Burroughs was as dry and witty as I could have ever hoped for.

4/5

5 TV Shows That You Need In Your Life (immediately)

This post is made in collaboration with blogger/friend Sophia from sophiadeanne.blogspot.com follow her to see her response to this post.

I don’t like telling people what to do. In fact, I like to avoid it at all costs, but honestly you need these television shows in your life (if they aren’t already). TV is very important to me. It’s basically the melting pot of all things culture. I think TV allows you to empathise with characters a lot easier than film does because you’re spending hours with them as they go about their lives. So have a look, pick a TV show and make heaps of popcorn because you’re going to binge watch and that’s a promise.

I won’t tell you too much about these shows but trust me when I say they’re flipping amazing.

Books and Series To Fall in Love With

Books are kind of my life.

 Reading is on the same level as film, TV and style for me. Back when I had time, I would average about 1-2 books a day. Recently, I’ve been giving myself more free time and I’ve been reading more and more.

Now, I haven’t always liked reading. When I was younger (maybe 8?) I absolutely could not stand reading. I thought it was boring, and to be perfectly honest, the books I was forced to read were boring. My mother, being an avid reader thought this was a serious issue and got me two books that really changed my perspective on reading. The first was a book of Arabians myths and the second was the Chronicles of Narnia. Both were the largest books I had ever seen in my entire life and I read them religiously. These books started off what has been a long-standing and fulfilling love affair with books and all things literature.

To really celebrate this love, I have here a comprehensive list of my favourite books. My tastes in books have changed as I’ve gotten older but these are the books that I either find myself coming back to all the time, or books that made me feel so much that I’ll always remember it.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

This book is sitting next to me right now. It goes everywhere with me. I love it with all my heart. Now, I won’t act like I was instantly attracted to this book. In fact, when I first saw the cover and read the back I thought it sounded ridiculous. Jeez, it’s even set in the 80s, I said to myself. However, I did give it a go and wow. This book is nothing short of my favourite read of 2014. Really quickly, it’s about these two teenagers Eleanor and Park (really?) who are falling in love for the first time and all that sweetness. The book also deals with serious issues like domestic abuse, bullying and being different, but not in a condescending way at all. I like Eleanor’s character because even though she’s unusual and sometimes weird, it doesn’t feel like she’s being forced into that box of a ‘messed up pixie girl’. She is honestly, one of the strongest female characters I’ve ever come across.

 

5 movies to watch this summer

 

It’s Sunday and I’m finally in full ‘lazy mode’. I’ve got my tea by my side and movies on the mind and I thought I’d share with you my favourite summer movies. When the heat rises and the summer rains come sweeping in, the best thing to do is curl up with your laptop, a massive bowl of popcorn and your most comfortable pyjamas ready for a day of movies and relaxation.

1. Dazed and Confused (1993) 
   
   Not to be mixed up with the excellent British Magazine of the same name, this movie is set in the 70’s and follows a bunch of teenagers on their last day of school. It’s hard to describe the plot because there are so many different stories but trust me, if you’re a Puberty Bluesfan, a Freaks and Geeks fan, or really just a fan of anything quintessentially teen, 70s and rock & roll, you will honestly love this movie. I know I did. Bonus points: foetus Matthew Mcconaughey.
   
   
   


2. Damsels in Distress (2011)
   
   This was my first foray into indie, film-festival movies. Three girls (Violet , Rose and Heather) set out to ‘fix’ their university by trying to change ‘frat boy’ attitude of the guys around them, rescue depression sufferers on campus and start a new dance trend called the ‘Sambola’. A new girl, Lily, joins the group and she kind of ruins everything but at the same time forces the trio to realise their own issues. The humour is witty and funny and the outfits scream preppy 60’s clique. Bonus points: All the girls have flower names.
   
   
   


3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
   
   Ah, my first Wes Anderson movie. Summer is the time you spend with your family and honestly; they can drive you up the wall.  The Royal Tenenbaums details the reunion of a separated family of geniuses after their father falls ill. Before you say ‘nah’, this movie is nowhere near as much as a downer as it sounds. Yes, it’s set in the winter but the colour scheme of the entire movie is filled with so many warm browns and reds that it’ll fit in just fine with the Australian summer (and for anyone in winter right now, it’ll help warm you up!). It’s also hilarious and heartwarming. Bonus points: Margot’s fur coat.
   
   
   
   
   


4. Heathers (1988)
   
   I have seen this movie so many times and I’m not slowing down yet. When I first watched it, I very much thought it was going to be your typical 80s weird girl-meets cool boy thing. Boy, was I wrong! It’s dark, funny, a little bit scary and is like a thriller version of Mean Girls. There is heaps of commentary on the high-school social hierarchy and the 80s fashion is in full swing here. Shoulder Pads to the max. Bonus Points: It-Girl Winona Ryder.
   
   


5. Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
   
   Yes, this is Shakespeare. No, it is not boring. Yes, you will laugh and cry and laugh a bit more. Like the title suggests, this play really is about nothing but the main theme is the animosity between the two main characters Beatrice and Benedict. There is treachery and villainy, heroism and a really strong female character that throws out witty quips like bread to ducks. What I really love about this movie is the intimacy. It’s set in the director Joss Whedon’s house and most of the cast was already friends. It feels like I’m looking in on their private lives and less like I’m watching a movie, which in my opinion is very, very important. Bonus points: The entire movie is in black and white.

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photo: my own

'We are the weirdos, mister' Nancy

So, just these last holidays I went on a movie bender. Well as much as a movie bender as I could handle.  My mind is still swimming with the stories and images that imprinted in my brain. Watching Dazed and Confused made me want to grow up in the seventies, with their flared pants and…that is it. I want the pants.

 

Watching Memento messed with my head so much I didn’t speak for the rest of the day. I had to re-watch scenes multiple times in order to actually understand what had happened. Still, I would recommend it to anyone watching.

 

While my eyes glazed over and my lips grew numb from munching on honey soy chicken chips, I wondered to myself if I could ever make such great and insightful movies. Like, it isn’t lost on me that what I’ve experienced is nothing out of the mundane and ordinary, you know? I’ve been to foreign countries, but never strayed far enough or stayed long enough to understand their culture.

 

I’m afraid I’ll end up like those two guys in Rope. They thought they understood things, thought they were superior, but they had grown up sheltered and privileged so in the end, their own ignorance lead to someone’s death and their own downfall. Though, in all honesty, I don’t think I’d strangle someone for shits and gigs. That seems a bit off. Although, Brandon and Phillip did look awfully dapper in their sharp suits and neat hair.

 

Ah, yes, the point. Film, to me, is one of the best ways to fully experience something you may never experience again. I may never sneak out to go to my first high school party, but I could describe the rush I felt when I watched it Dazed. I may never run a successful crime business, but if I did, I know not to squeal.

 

I also know that it is completely all right to run away from weddings if you don’t feel comfortable. Your own weddings.

Zaitoon

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Why oh why: Can't I be Mindy Kaling?

To anyone who knows me it’s no secret that I want to be a writer. It’s a passion that is nothing short of all-consuming. However, not that many people actually know is how serious I am about scriptwriting, directing and acting; a love that came much later than my love for novels and hasn’t left since. While I performed in a Shake&Stir production of the Tempest, I was able to see what our director and writers did with the script and that left me with no doubt in my mind that I had to do this myself.

Only there were a few issues. Well one issue. I was afraid I couldn’t do it. I was afraid I wasn’t good enough, or smart enough or connected enough; but above all, I thought I wasn’t white enough. If you turn on Australian television or put on a film, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single character that isn’t white.

Like many people, Puberty Blues is one of my favourite TV shows

It’s a problem that’s not as bad on channels like ABC and SBS than channels like Ten or Seven. Even watching American television shows, I noticed that any non-white character seemed like an afterthought, an archetype to garner laughs or sympathy. The sassy black girl, the nerdy Asian, the clueless foreign student…The list goes on. I also realised that none of my favourite movies or television shows were created, directed or written by women, which prompted me to do more research only to discover that 95% of directors are men, despite 50% of film school graduates being women.

I was in a fit of despair. I thought I could never succeed, that I should just cut my losses and focus on getting in Med School. That is, until I discovered for myself, Mindy Kaling.

Mindy Kaling 

To any Office fans, I can assume you’re scoffing at my lateness. You’ve known about Ms Kaling’s amazingness for a while now. I’m sorry, please forgive me. I stumbled across this explosion of talent while I was looking for a new television show to watch and her new show ‘The Mindy Project’ (which she created) seemed like a good idea. I watched the first season in a day before realising I needed to pace myself. Even though I took my time watch the second season, it still finished too quickly and I found myself staring at a 2 month hiatus until the next episode. I’m not ashamed to say I cried. I was so upset. Here was a show about this Indian woman who couldn’t cook, had heaps of horrible boyfriends, spoke like ‘a twelve year old girl’ and she was the main character! I was shocked. It didn’t even occur to me that this could happen and so, of course, I lapped it up. Mindy (the character not the person) was this incredibly smart and unique character who was so intensely funny and addictive that I soon found myself imitating her voice and mannerisms which is a definite sign of idolisation.

During the Season Two hiatus I kept myself busy by reading, re-reading and re-reading certain chapters of her book, re-watching the Mindy Project and (obsessively) googling everything I could about Mindy. She went to Dartmouth College (which even as an Australian I know is REALLY important). With her best friend Brenda Withers, she created this insanely funny play called Matt and Ben, based on the lives of actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. It’s a dear wish of mine that I was alive back then so I could watch the play in all its hilarity instead of settling with Youtube clips.

Mindy then went on to work on television eventually becoming a writer on the lovely television show the Office. She also played the role of Kelly Kapoor.

Oh, Kelly!

Mindy is what inspired me to start writing again. I began talking to people I knew who knew about filmmaking, writing, acting and directing and became more informed about what I wanted to do. I owe a lot of my current confidence to the women who gave us the quote ‘There is no sunrise worth waking me up to see”.  //

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