NOVEL - Jasper Jones (Craig Silvey)

This book caught my eye at Kinokuniya one day in 2011 as the guy on the cover reminded me of Lip from Shameless US (ie: Jeremy Allen White) and that was purely the reason why I wanted to read the book.

Then I read the blurb then looked at the price tag of the book and thought 'okay..no," and put the book back down.

To be honest, it didn't sound that interesting. A bunch of kids in an Australian regional outback town. Okay, no thanks.

(interesting fact: the blurb of this book was in the 2010 School Certificate Paper)

Fast forward to one year later and things have changed greatly. The novel isn't extremely long, but it was able to make me laugh, cry and make my heart ache. It deals with prejudice, racism, death and love in a way that isn't too overwhelming and the lessons to be learned from the book aren't shoved down your throat, they subtlety seep into your mind.

It makes you wonder how a book which appears to be another typical teen book can contain so much meaning. I finished the 300+ pages in well under a week and I would gladly read it again. Books like these deserve to be read more than once. There are moments in which you suddenly burst out laughing and with that, I want to acknowledge the flawlessness of the character Jeffrey Lu. Much of my laughter was due to him.

• “He couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo.”

Jasper Jones also contains many good, insightful quotes, and I'll end this post with one of them.

• “Life might be easier if you give in a little, but it’s better if you hold onto something so hard you can’t give it up.”

NOVEL - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Haruki Murakami)

This is my related text for Ext 1 English. I don't have much to say about the actual plot of this book.

When I finish a book, I look it up on Wikipedia it to see what it has to say about it. Expecting a long synopsis of the book, this is what I get:

"The novel is about a low-key unemployed man, Toru Okada, whose cat runs away. A chain of events follow that prove that his seemingly mundane life is much more complicated than it appears."

When two sentences is all Wikipedia has to say about something, you know the topic at hand either has no substance or is too elaborate for anyone to actually be bothered to write a proper summary of it. In this case, it's the latter.

Nearly everything in this book is a motif. Cats, baseball bats, water, flows, music, clothing, darkness, wells. Everything is symbolic for something and the book not only depicts the life of Toru Okada, it goes into so much detail with the lives of the other characters, you begin to wonder if the book is actually about Toru and his missing cat. With 600+ pages, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is so dense, I had to take breaks now and then because it became too much.

I really liked Lieutenant Mamiya's army storyline. Usually I don't care much when books integrate actual historical events because sometimes it just feels like a history lesson, but what Lieutenant recounted to Toru was so fascinating and graphic, that it ended up being one of my favourite parts of the book.

I also adored Toru and May Kasahara's platonic relationship, slightly similar Toru Watanabe and Midori Kobayashi from Murakimi's earlier novel Norwegian Wood. The irony is that despite her quirky personality and her 'interesting' way of expressing herself (“When I see a dictionary on my desk I feel like I’m looking at some strange dog leaving a twisty piece of poop”), May ends up being the most realistic, normal (in a non-supernatural way) character. Her and Toru's constant rumination over death and human life provides much needed fodder for my Textual Dynamics essay.

One more thing I want to mention is the character Noboru Wataya, of which Toru absolutely despises. An academic and later a politician with much power at his finger tips, he intrigues me, reminding me of Patrick Bateman of American Psycho or John Tuld from Margin Call. When most people stop, he keeps going and what scares you about those types of people is not just what they're capable of, but how much it takes to stop them.

The ending is satisfying and despite not every issue being 100% resolved (eg: the mysterious woman on the phone), this leaves room for you to think about the actual novel and the ideas that it raises. This is the second book that I have read by Murakami and so far, I am far from being disappointed. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is definitely worth a read.

MOVIE - Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho (2010)

Saw this film on recommended tumblr, thought I'd give it ago. It's a Portuguese short film about a blind boy and his friendship with a girl and their new classmate. That's about all I can say plot-wise, anything else will spoil the  movie.

Some of the comments on youtube suggest that a sequel should be made, but I disagree. What makes the film so great is its simplicity in dealing with contemporary issues. It talks about something that's so controversial in such a tranquil way and it makes you think 'why are we making such a big deal today about something that is, and should be considered, normal'. This is why I think a sequel is unnecessary, a continuation is unneeded when so much is already conveyed in the 17 minutes.

Overall, this is such a lovely, heart-warming film. The acting was great and the length of it was perfect, not too short or long. This is a film I'm glad I've watched and hope to watch again sometime in the future.

MOVIE - Laurence Anyways (2012) Film Trailer

It seems kind of pointless to have a blog post about a trailer for a film but nevertheless, I'm so excited for this! I absolutely loved 'J'ai tué ma mère' by Xavier Dolan, so I have high hopes for Laurence Always.

Slightly related, a few months ago I watched the television drama 'Worried About The Boy' with Douglas Booth. To be honest, that was one of the only films I've watched that centred around transvestism. Of course that is different to Laurence Anyways, of which is about a man and his transgender transitioning process, but nevertheless, both the movies are really not types of things I usually watch. It's a good thing read/watch/listen to forms of entertainment you don't normally engage with, as so much can be overlooked and you can really miss out.

I'm really looking forward to this movie coming out. From the trailer, the soundtrack sounds amazing, the characters are intriguing and I'm genuinely curious to what is going to happen. May 2012 is too far away for me :(

NOVEL - We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)

This novel truly depicts every mother's worst nightmare. We Need To Talk About Kevin contains a series of letters from Eva Khatchadourian to her husband Franklin, reflecting on her life prior and subsequent to the high school massacre, known as Thursday, committed by her son Kevin.

Since his birth, Eva notices that Kevin's characteristics and actions are almost sociopathic as the two form a loathsome relationship while Kevin appears to be much closer to his father. Although Eva voices her concern for and of Kevin, Franklin disregards this by "rounding up" these warnings as minor incidents which reinforces the notion that 'boys will be boys', thus pushing Eva and Franklin further apart.

In terms of the storyline, we know the gist of what happens at the start, middle and end but what is a surprise to us is the emotional development. As little is known about Kevin's true motives and thoughts, some surprising discoveries are made. In this book, you see various relationships strain, breakdown and flourish as it examines ideas associated with parental responsibility and unconditional love.

One would assume that a book structured through letters is tenuous to read but We Need To Talk About Kevin is beautifully written and effectively builds up suspense. There are several intricate nuances (as my English teacher would say) within the book which requires multiple readings or a very attentive mind to notice, such as Kevin's response to an interviewer paralleling Eva's ideas prior to Thursday on American accountability. The book mainly explores the complicated relationship between Kevin and Eva of which many can unfortunately relate to.

This is as much as I can discuss about the novel before spoiling it, however I whole heartedly recommend you read it as well as watch the film adaptation with Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller and John C. Reilly. I watched the film first then read the novel and I found that while the film is amazing on its own, the novel adds further depth, of which helped to me understand and appreciate the film even more.

MOVIE - Shame (2011)

As always, I had very little knowledge of Steve McQueen's film Shame prior to watching it, only that it was about sex, a given considering its R18+ rating. Yes, the film is centred around a man's sexual addiction but there's so much more beyond that.

"In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay."
- IMDB

The storyline is not complicated or elaborate. There are not sudden plot twists or curve balls, what you see on screen is simply what you get.

That is why the film is simultaneously simple and sophisticated. The film purely displays the destructive combination of Brandon's addiction and Sissy's impulsive lifestyle. Easily put, the siblings cannot function together, but beyond that are dark themes not just about sex, but façades, strained relationships and self destruction portrayed not only in Brandon but in Sissy as well.

The 'explicit sex scenes' didn't disturb me at all. About 3/4 through, I was even wondering what the point of the movie was. But the last 20 minutes of the film really hit hard. The movie is built up and executed well and the ending (and by extension the opening) scene was perfect. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan are excellent and have such good chemistry which is why the movie works so well.

Brandon draw parallels with Patrick Bateman of American Psycho, nonetheless the character stands on his own and I'm conflicted in whether to reprimand or pity him.

Overall, despite my original doubts, this is a very engaging, intriguing, intense film. A seemingly straightforward plot gives you much to think about and more than one viewing is required to comprehend the film.

ART - Picasso exhibition & others (Art Gallery of NSW)

Finally having spare time after exams, Jess, Mon and I decided to see the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Honestly, I initially didn't have much interest in actually seeing the artworks, as I was only entranced by the fact that is was Pablo freaking Picasso and I would regret a once in a life time opportunity if I decided not to go. There were 10 large rooms of his work, each room illustrating a particular period of his life such as 'A return to classicism 1916-1924' and 'The joy of life 1952-1960'. I obviously could not take any photos, but here are some of my favourite works. [note the following are not the real things (of course) but from Google Images]

 The Suppliant (Source)

Man in a Straw Hat with Ice Cream Cone (Source)

Portrait of Dora Maar Seated (Source)

This was absolutely stunning. Looking back on this on a computer screen is nothing compared to the actual one. In real life, it's so vibrant and gorgeous.

Looking back, there were definitely some 'wtf is this even art?' moments, but overall it was such an interesting experience, that these iconic artworks actually exist and have transcended time for others to view today. It's such an odd feeling, that people come and go in life but what they leave can have such an impact on others. 

I also had the pleasure of looking at the other artworks in the gallery.

There were a lot more people looking at the exhibit than I had originally expected and some of the late afternoon sessions were even sold out. The Picasso exhibit ends on the 25th of March after over 4 months in Sydney, so now's the last chance to see it.