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Movies and Life - by Tracy

'A good story should surprise you as it unfolds. Then afterwards it should seem the story could only have unfolded that way.’ Ken Loach

Life - Movies and Life

Eddie Izzard - British films verses American films

August 17th 2008 00:50

Eddie Izzard articulates the differences between American and British films. As always he does it with flamboyant zest and contagious humour:

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Film thoughts

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There is a light that never goes out

July 9th 2008 22:14

If she were here
Maybe we’d watch telly together,
Maybe we’d talk,
Or maybe we wouldn’t.
That would be OK too.

If she were here
Maybe we’d go out clubbing
We’d dance to The Smiths
With our arms poking around in the air
Singing each word with loud emphatic belief.
That would be OK too.

If she were here
We might sit in the lounge,
Light up a big spliff,
Talk rubbish, laugh loudly
And sing to The Smiths
That would be OK too.

If she were here
Maybe we’d go shopping
Maybe we’d sit in a café
Or a pub
And talk, drink and laugh for hours.

That would be OK too.

But only if she were still here
If only she were still here.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Life

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A grammar dilemma

July 6th 2008 22:24

This clip is for the grammar mavens within us. In the British quiz show QI (Quite Interesting), Stephen Fry (Blackadder and Wilde) and his permanent cohort Alan Davies demonstrate one of those back and forth arguments that could continue for a long time.

Do we accept language has changed and may not be ‘correct’ in the way that we learnt grammar rules at school, but work well on a colloquial level? Or do we strive to remain loyal to its ‘correct’ English foundation? If we do not remain pedantic about English usage will it lead to language deterioration?

It is undeniable that the English language has transformed and will continue to alter over time and it is common to hear the phrase, ‘none of them work’. Yet, is that OK?

Stephen demonstrates this dilemma well with his usual clever, swift wit. Prominently articulate while raising the issue, it’s a good laugh.

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Sing me to sleep

July 2nd 2008 22:09

This morning I woke up abnormally early. And I mean early. 4am. As soon as I woke, I knew there was no chance of falling sleep again. My body made that clear. The bed no longer moulded softly around my body, my eyes were wide open and worried about it being dark. I was fearful I would never sleep again.

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What could have been...?

May 25th 2008 23:39

I missed out on being at the Indiana Jones premiere and red carpet experience (I was sick, but appreciated the invite from Paramount Pictures) last week, so I’m a bit miffed. But I am heartened at finding out that I’m not alone, there are others that were not involved either:

Tom ‘Moustache’ Selleck was almost Indiana. He was offered the role at the same time that CBS picked up the Magnum PI pilot Selleck had just made. Unfortunately the Magnum producers would not release him and he had to pass on the film role. In one of those awful ironic life twists, an actor's strike delayed the start of Magnum's filming. As Raiders was being shot in Europe far away from Union regulations, Selleck could have done the role after all. Selleck, showing generous sportsmanship, appeared in an episode of Magnum that parodied Raiders with the trademark accessories, riffs on the hat, the whip and booby traps

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Film thoughts

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Cannes Film Festival 2008 begins tomorrow

May 13th 2008 06:56

Photograph by David Lynch, adapted by Pierre Collier. Image courtesy of http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/officalposter.html.

After celebrating its sixtieth birthday in 2007, Cannes Film Festival begins tomorrow. This year, the visual feast will feature 57 full-length films from 31 countries. Offerings include the new Indiana Jones movie, director Clint Eastwood's Changeling and the DreamWorks animated comedy Kung Fu Panda.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Festivals

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Who should’ve kept their clothes on?

April 10th 2008 23:53

Having seen Before the Devil Knows You're Dead on the weekend, I feel more drawn to talk about my discovery of Paper magazine's 10 Worst Nude Film Scenes of all time.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Lists

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You should be dancing

March 27th 2008 21:10

After talking about the impending Fame remake over on Filmpeek, I started thinking about the combination of music and dancing in films. Costumes, music, vibrancy all mixed together can form a vivid, visual feast that sets those tootsies tapping. It’s a tenuous affair though; one dodgy pirouette and Cheese-Ville can call.

For me, when characters spontaneously cut a rug, it's more delectable if the film wasn't actually a musical. So, here are some films that sport an iconic, memorable dance sequence

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Film thoughts

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Blogged down

March 14th 2008 21:55

I’ve fallen behind with my blogging duties just lately. The reason why is simple, life. I let my blogging lag happen: I’ve seen films, been motivated, made notes and plans, yet did nothing with those thoughts. They’re still in my, ‘to do’ file. And that file is growing.

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Top box office couples

March 1st 2008 05:23

Following the theme of my last post, films and predictability, I found an article on Forbes.com outlining Hollywood’s top box office film couples. Success is measured soley on the tangible element of how much money a film grossed, rather than film quality, characterisation, direction or any of those other ingredients that make up a fine film.

As you would imagine there are not many surprises in this list. In the drama genre we have Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in Spiderman. You know the scene, where Maguire's unmasked Spider-Man kissed Dunst's Mary Jane Watson upside down in the rain. Isn’t that the one where her headlights are on? Interesting coincidence

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Lists

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Gus Van Sant Festival at Dendy Cinemas

February 26th 2008 05:30

Film festivals give viewers the chance to indulge and immerse themselves in the world that is being offered. A Gus Van Sant visual feast is coming to Dendy cinemas from February 29 – March 12, 2008 and I’ll be there. I’m no Van Sant expert but from the films I’ve already seen, My Own Private Idaho, Gerry, Drugstore Cowboy and Elephant, I’m hoping to expand my experiences. It is also our first opportunity in Australia to see Van Sant’s latest piece, Paranoid Park.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Festivals

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Empire Magazine’s Top 10 Movie Haircuts

February 3rd 2008 21:57

I finally saw No Country for Old Men on the weekend and I was mesmerised by Javier Bardem’s immovable bowl cut. Hair isn’t usually a topic I’d normally write about but the combination of reading Empire Magazine’s Top 10 Film Haircuts article and Bardem’s dedicated tresses, made me think further about the role of hair in films.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Lists

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