MOVIE - The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

The Cabin in the Woods is a post modern horror film which is really fucking weird, and often with post modern texts, the words weird and brilliant can used interchangeably. Reminiscent of Weir's The Truman Show, The Cabin in the Woods depicts a group of young adults spending a weekend at a deserted cabin while being manipulated by an external force. Installed cameras in the cabin allow the force to monitor the group and influence their actions in order to create a typical horror movie scenario and appease the unseen audience of the situation.

(Dana, Marty, Curt, Jules, Holden)

Each of the group members are assigned traditional character roles that are typically found in horror films. However, from the start, it is clear the members are not two-dimensional and their individual personalities extend beyond the traditional roles they represent. For instance, the 'Virgin' is not actually a virgin, being previously involved in an affair with a professor, the Braun is knowledgeable and the Whore is in a healthy, monogamous relationship. Early into the movie, it is clear that the supposed 'Fool'/stoner Marty has the most common sense in the group, which deliberately subverts the expectations we have as an audience towards his character. This is what makes the movie so great, it critiques horror film conventions while commenting on how such films are constructed to appeal to mass audiences.

Keeping in mind the aforementioned parallel to the Truman Show, The Cabin in the Woods similarly uses a physically created simulacrum of the cabin to depict the creation of a movie within a movie. However, like Truman and the Truman Show, the simulation of reality of the cabin will inevitably collide with force that creates the simulation. The realisation of this is one of the greatest moments of the movie.

Overall, I enjoyed The Cabin in the Woods very much. It has a lot of postmodern elements that added depth to the film, a lot of which I didn't even notice until reading about it afterwards. There are some funny moments and some scenes that will make you squirm, but I do believe more viewings are required to fully appreciate how fucking clever this movie is.

A halt on the horror, for awhile anyway

I am going to stop reading/watching creepy, fucked up, disturbing shit. I don't even know why I do it in the first place, but it's probably a deep, morbid curiosity derived from the "car crash syndrome". You just can't look away.

American Horror Story Season Two.
This season is absolutely disgusting. I have much love for Jessica Lange and Zachary Quinto, but why on Earth am I still watching this show? There is one episode simply called "The Coat Hanger". You don't even have to know what the whole season is about to know that the "The Coat Hanger" episode is not a light hearted one (if any of the episodes can be considered that), especially for those with ovaries.

I say all this about how disgusting the show is, but really, it's been one the most intriguing shows that I've watched in 2012/2013. From a year of Shameless, Community, Parks and Recreation, Gossip Girl (urgh, don't get me started), American Horror Story provides an interesting contrast. My favourite scene would have to be the Name Game dance sequence. That was amazing.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
House of Leaves is the darkest book I've ever read. Literally. It is about a family residing in a house which is larger on the inside than on the outside and how darkness within an expanding closet consumes the whole house. I wouldn't classify the book as horror, but it is pretty gloomy and the concept overall, as well as the ramifications of living in such a house is pretty damn frightening.


A satire of academic criticism, its experimentation with form correlates the aesthetics of the words themselves with the plot of the novel. Consequent to finishing the book, a sensation of emptiness remained within me, as if something important was drained out during the process of reading, of which I only realised occurred after the last page. It sounds a bit ridiculous today, but House of Leaves fucked something up inside me, at least for short while. After reading books, you can usually lay to rest the story and continue on with your life, but with some particular books (almost always the amazing, evocative ones), something stays with you, even after finishing it.


Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
This is one of the first Murakami novels that I do not like. I think it's definitely interesting, well paced and written. But I just don't like it. In Murakami novels, it's common for characters to have a deep physical, and more notably spiritual connections, but such types of affiliations within Kafka on the Shore involve Oedipal and pedophilia themes. One exception is Nabokov's Lolita, but other than that, I'm not here for this.

If I don't really care about the characters, I don't enjoy reading the book as much. I was indifferent to the protagonist Kafka, however Nakata's narration and storyline was a refreshing change of tone and perspective. Oshima is still my favourite character though, for some odd reason. Maybe it's because he reminds me of Q from Skyfall.

(picture from tumblr)



Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami
Oh goodness. Where to even start with this book. Oh here's an idea, how about the first sentence? (highlight to see): "The woman pushed on the baby's stomach and sucked its penis into her mouth; it was thinner than the American menthols she smoked and a bit slimy, like raw fish."

Damn that is absolutely disgusting. That line alone almost made me stop reading the book altogether. I was so close to just slamming the book shut and never opening it again. Luckily I didn't, because Coin Locker Babies turned out to be one of my favourite books. The opening line almost serves as a test, that if you can't make through it, don't bother with the rest of the book, and indeed the book does get a lot better. It portrays such a gritty, sickening tale of humanity and human nature itself and what's more disturbing than the book (as over-the-top it may be), is how much it parallels modern society, a notion which is especially jarring if you are aware of how the book ends.








In conclusion, I really need to stop reading/watching these types of books and shows. Someone please send me something along the lines of 'Where is the Green Sheep?" to read. Or a therapist. Whichever is easier.

HSC Results Countdown

13 years of schooling as led up to this. How exciting. 

I've been asked several times whether or not I'm nervous and honestly, I'm not. I've worked this year the hardest I have ever worked in my life and I'm not desperately hoping for a 99.95 ATAR or for all my subjects to be Band 6. Instead, I'm anxious in anticipation. One of my great flaws is my impatience. I can't stand waiting, so I've been occupying my days with:

Work:

I've been working a lot recently, saving up for my future exchange overseas which costs a whopping 26k. While I'm not fond of work, it has kept me sane and has stopped me from going crazy in waiting for my results.

Movies & Television Shows:

Perks was amazing. I loved the book and I was pleasantly surprised to how it translated into film. I did think Emma Watson's performance was weak, but Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman were amazing. The movie fleshed out Patrick's character more and I'm so glad it did because there was a lot of potential within it. I would have liked more background on Charlie (ie. more on his late best friend) but how they portrayed his relationship with Aunt Helen was subtle and chilling.

With Pitch Perfect, Rebel Wilson stole the show. Overall, it was a fun, cute and hilarious movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was so lovely and evocative. It made me wonder so much about fate and love and I have so much respect for Jim Carrey (who was in The Truman Show and I Love You Phillip Morris which I both adore) and Kate Winslet.

Skyfall was the first James Bond movie I ever watched and it was exciting. I don't really have much to say about it except that Q is a qt.

Misfits seasons 4 has been a let down so far this season (I'm only up to episode 6) but Rudy is forever wonderful.

I like this season of American Horror Story more than the last one. It's more gritty, shocking and less focused on tenuous relationships I don't care about. Spoiler: highlight to see (holy crap Zachary Quinto is such an amazing actor. The huge twist at the end of I am Anne Frank part 2 was so frightening, god DAMN. I loved how the apartment scene portrayed, that is one freaky lamp.)

Books:
I bought 1Q84 during late 2011 and it was only after the HSC that I have gotten the chance to read it. I might make a separate post for it but I'll just say that it was a really interesting and thought provoking novel. Like a lot of Murakami novels, much is left up to the reader to decipher, but if you want something action packed, more so than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, 1Q84 is for you.

I re-read The Door Into Summer and while I'm usually not a fan of sci-fi novels, this has got to be one of my favourite books. It's hilarious and well paced and is a prime example of where one should not judge a book by its cover.

That's about it from me. I hope all my fellow school leavers receive the marks that they're hoping for and good luck to the current year 12s.

6 days of freedom in Kiama.

Between the 22nd and 28th of November, 6 friends and I stayed for almost a week down south in Kiama and let me tell you, it was one of the most liberating, relaxing experiences of my life.

The house contained 3 bedrooms (2 double beds and 2 bunk beds) and was four minutes from the beach.

The sunset was well worth waking up at 5am for. I don't think I have ever properly watched the sun rise in my life, certainly not during my time in Sydney, so it was quite a surreal experience. A perfect time to be inundated with existential questions and dilemmas of what is life and how different the world can be a few hours from a major city.


Whenever asked about what I did in Kiama, the truth of 'going to the beach' and 'cooking' never sounds interesting. However, the fact that I was there with the people that I loved made the whole trip exciting enough for me.

We made a blanket and pillow fort and played cards, watched V for Vendetta and ate ice cream inside it.

We also took plenty of walks, one time which we came across a group of elderly ladies with several dogs. They were so cute and the large white one was so friendly, it wouldn't leave us ;~;. Additionally, we climbed over a lot of rocks to get near the edge of a cliff. Frightening stuff, especially when it began to rain.

The move list: (underlined are the ones I slept through partially or wholly)

The Descent 2 (horrible, terrible, etc.)

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Rosemary's Baby (i really wish i didn't fall asleep, it seemed like my kind of movie)

Treasure Planet

Finding Nemo

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Zombieland

Kill Bill 1, Kill Bill 2

The Fountain

V for Vendetta

Snatch.

Get Him To The Greek

Overall, it was the most fun that I have had in awhile, making the whole ordeal of the HSC beforehand so minuscule. But never mind that, HSC results come out in a week. The relaxation within my life will soon be gone. Oh well, there's always Kiama.

MUSIC - Coldplay Concert (i.e. the greatest night ever)

My friends Jenny and Cecilia and I bought the tickets early in the year and after several months of waiting, the night was finally here. We arrived at Allianz Stadium about 2pm and there was already 200+ people waiting. We joined the queue and spent the next three and a half hours in the scorching sun. After several attempts of entertainment, from charades to eating, our patience was rewarded with an amazing spot near the stage:

and xylobands!

First up were The Pierces who were really good live. They played We Are Stars, Secret, You'll Be Mine and some other songs but not 3 Wishes which is my favourite song from them. Jenny hated them though ("WHY ARE THEY EVEN CALLED THE PIERCES?") but I thought they were pretty good. Except one of the guitar players was :| for the whole time. That was really distracting.

Next were the Temper Trap and they were great as well. I love love love love love Rabbit Hole and I'm so glad I got to hear it live, I can never get tired of that song.

Finally Coldplay came on and god damn they were amazing.

this being their first song last night, you can imagine how the rest of the show was like

I felt like a spoilt child at Christmas, so much happened during their performances.

In the first couple of songs, these crepe paper butterflies started shooting out and filled the whole stadium. For a few magical moments, the only thing you could see was this:

It was so beautiful, you cannot fathom how surprised I was when they first came out. The moshpit is seriously the best place to be.

Later on, these colourful giant balloon balls were released and bounced on top of the crowds. I managed to whack one towards the stage hehe.

The security guards had to pop them later though :(

There were so many lasers and fireworks and flashing lights. Honestly, I felt disappointed afterwards, not because of the concert itself, but because I had to get back my less vibrant reality. My favourite performances of the night would have to be Charlie Brown, Viva La Vida, Paradise, Fix You and Hurts Like Heaven.

This is definitely not my last Coldplay show. In the future, if you ever get the chance to go, don't hesitate. And get there early.

MUSIC - My HSC Playlist

Frank Ocean: (quite a lot of him actually)
Missing You So

Lost


Novacane


Swim Good


Calvin Harris ft. Example:
We’ll Be Coming Back


Psy:
Right Now


Florence and the Machine:
Howl

and now to actually get studying.

MOVIE - Les Amours Imaginaires (2010)

Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats) is a French movie that I had been wanting to watch for the past year and finally had the pleasure of doing so after my exams. Directed, written, edited by Xavier Dolan, he plays the protagonist Francais, a young man that falls for the new guy in town, Nick, at the same time that his good friend Mary does.

That's pretty much it, plot-wise. However, the movie does not depict the conventional love triangle and some scenes were uncomfortable to watch. No, not because of the acting (I quite enjoyed the performances of Dolan and Monia Chokri who plays Mary), but how much the movie reminds you the embarrassment that almost comes hand in hand with infatuation.

The competition between Mary and Francis is never explicitly said, but the undercurrent sensations of jealousy and lust are prevalent and the fact that the protagonists are unaware of all this, of how all their emotions are blanketed across their faces for the world to see allows us to reflect on our past infatuations. The movie illustrates how such lust can consume us, influencing how we act, how we perceive the world and the relationships present in our lives.

Les Amours Imaginaires is gorgeous, of which can easily be mistaken as the stylized preteniousness of any conventional French film and I must admit that thought did cross my mind. However, Dolan in this interview, raises an interesting point:

"The film is about the way we magnify people when we’re in love -- walking down the street feeling like we’re floating, hence the slow motion, the music, the costumes, the colors. A lot of people said it was a case of style over substance, but being in love is often a case of style over substance."

I feel that this movie and its stylistic devices felt less awkward than it did for Dolan's first film J'ai tué ma mère and Les Amours Imaginaires was more fluid in general, however I found more depth within J'ai tué ma mère and thus was able to connect to it more. Nevertheless, both films are fantastic and I look forward to eventually watching Laurence Anyways.

(x)