Archive for August, 2008
I’m in need of a bit of a vent, so I thought that I would take a
leaf out of the lovely Annik’s book… er, blog, and list the things that have disappointed me.
1. Chocolate. I thought you were there for me in good times and in bad, but my hips have had other things to say.
2. Gloria Jeans.
3. The bus driver on the number 3 bus who neither opened the door for me, nor got off his backside to help when I a tiny young thing at 16, and was surrounded by a gang and beat up. Thanks mate.
4. Vodka.
5. The Devil Wears Prada movie. The book was so much better.
6. Cashmere Mafia.
7. United Airlines. Grey omelettes and sh’tty service is so not cool.
8. SeaWorld San Diego – when you advertise “Dine with Shamu”, you should probably note that it’s not THE Shamu *scowl*
9. Ezibuy. I don’t appreciate waiting over a month after receiving dispatch notification to receive a package. And I don’t like being charged twice, either.
10. Vodafone.
11. New York City. I wanted a white Christmas, dammit!
12. THOR in New York City. What kind of restaurant doesn’t celebrate Christmas? You could have MENTIONED that on your website or over the phone before we trekked more than 40 blocks to eat at your establishment!
13. Cane toads.
14. New Years Eve in New York City. Sure, the last twenty minutes were FABULOUS, but being barricaded inside our hotel because it was too much of a pain in the rear end to get out was not so great.
15. Telstra.
16. Beach House Fitness Centre – what’s with the lack of BodyStep and BodyAttack classes? Huh?
17. Emla patches. Anaesthetic patches? Whatever. The Cervical Cancer Vaccine still farking stung!
18. My ’96 Holden VP.
19. Toyota. You were so great at the beginning. What happened?
20. MySpace. What a crock.
21. The US exchange rate.
22. Amazon.com and their postage charges.
23. ANZ.
24. Commbank.
25. My University.
26. Cheesy Noodl-os.. Where did you go? I can’t have been the only person buying them.
27. Humidity.
28. The build up.
29. The lack of winter in Darwin.
30. Girlfriend and Dolly magazines. The pre-teen years.
31. Cosmo and Cleo magazines. The teenage years. Need I say more?
32. The wedding industry in Australia.
33. Helen Rodrigues. You were so great when purchasing my Vera Wang – now it’s like you’ve disappeared off the face of the earth. I guess I’ll take my money elsewhere.
34. So You Think You Can Dance.
35. Big Brother. Ever since the year that Reggie won, it’s been pitiful.
36. Australian Idol.
37. Australia’s Next Top Model and the “Bitchketeers.”
38. Luna Park Sydney.
39. Luna Park Melbourne. Are you ever even open?
40. Palm Beach. Where was Mr Stuart?
41. The Nanny Diaries movie. Seriously.
42. Chasing Harry Winston. Irk.
43. Parcel forwarding.
44. “Nick’s Bondi Beach.” But I shall give you another chance. Because I want to like you.
45. The CD player in Nick’s car.
46. Nick’s car.
47. Buzz Café, Cullen Bay.
48. MobileMe. And so you should give me an extra month free. You haven’t been reliable.
49. My orthodontist.
50. The colonoscopy.
51. My GP.
52. My hairdresser.
53. Antiperspirant deodorant.
54. AskJeeves.
55. Berocca. What fizz?
56. The Neighbours Tour.
57. The Nutcracker in New York City.
58. The Door Guy at Serendipity3 who made us stand out in the freezing cold and rain for more than an hour.
59. The Limo Guy who ripped us off on the night of our engagement.
60. Lotus Notes.
61. Herbal Tea.
62. All Bran.
63. Mood Stabilisers.
64. PSE.
65. Australia Post. Many times.
66. The iPhone.
67. The UK exchange rate.
68. Myself.
69. A whole bunch of friends. You know who you are.
70. Family.
71. Superman Returns.
72. The Sydney Roosters. But I will always love you.
73. Whitney Houston.
74. NSW State of Origin team. Most years.
75. Harry Connick Jr.
76. Beijing getting the 2008 Games.
77. Gilmore Girls. WHY did you leave me??
78. Sex and the City. Again – why did you go and leave me??
79. Carrie Bradshaw and Big.
80. Princess Mary. Remember where your roots lie.
81. Nutella.
82. Tuna. When did you suddenly decide to turn on me?
83. Sushi. Same again.
84. Myer and David Jones.
85. Casuarina Shopping Square.
86. The narky girl at Boost Juice who never quite gets my order right.
87. World Youth Day.
88. Highschool Musical: Disney on Ice.
89. Build-a-Bear.
90. Going blonde.
91. Codral Cold and Flu tablets, which never seem to work. Give me back the Pseudoephedrine.
92. Stalkbook… I mean, Facebook.
93. Photobucket.
94. My Psych degree.
95. Griffith University. Only one unit in.
96. My Polar Heart Rate Monitor.
97. Hershey’s Kisses.
98. eBay.
99. The heated spa at Star City Casino – that always seems to be malfunctioning every time we visit.
100. Macy’s and the Miracle on 34th St movie. SantaLand was not at ALL what I was expecting.
101. The internet. You suck up so much of my time. Without even trying.
… Eight months after the proposal!
A movie review, as required for my portfolio for one of my Journalism units -
Directed by Mark Pellington (Arlington Road, Cold Case), The Mothman Prophecies stars Richard Gere (Unfaithful, Runaway Bride, The Jackal), Laura Linney (Mystic River, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Primal Fear) as the town sheriff, and a fleeting appearance from Debra Messing (The Wedding Date, Will & Grace). Released in 2002, with a running time of 119 minutes, this supernatural thriller was (loosely) based on actual events, and adapted from a 1976 novel of the same name, by John A. Keel.
A movie that desperately wants to be taken seriously, Richard Gere stars as John Klein (that one could assume is based on the author of the book, John Keel), a reporter from Washington D.C., loses his wife, Mary (Messing), who is diagnosed with a brain tumour during a routine CAT scan, following a car accident. Two years after her death, Gere mysteriously finds himself in the small town of ‘Point Pleasant’, West Virginia, more than five hours off-course. It is during his time in Point Pleasant that Gere discovers a mysterious chain of events, including supernatural encounters, cryptic creatures, and strange phone calls.
Richard Gere’s character becomes obsessed with the supernatural creature that is known as Mothman, when he realises the connection between the drawings that his wife drew before her death, and eyewitness accounts of the Mothman, all of which seem to predict devastating events. The thriller is similar to that of The Amityville Horror, or Nicholas Roeg’s 1973 adaptation of Don’t Look Now; and after Gere encounters a Mothman “expert”, he is convinced that Point Pleasant is in for tragedy and heartbreak.
While the acting was adequate overall, Gere’s stone-faced performance was less than consistent. His work alongside Messing in opening scenes almost makes up for his inconsistency, while Linney’s performance keeps the thriller moving. Gere’s character could almost be mute, with him essentially not saying a lot, but finding himself terrified for most of the movie – certainly not that challenging for even the least experienced actor. Other characters in The Mothman Prophecies are merely included to aid in moving the plot along.
The cinematography and sound of the movie is seemingly lacking, and after the first 10 minutes is shot almost entirely in a grey light, interspersed with bright flashes, and annoying screeches of the “Mothman” that sound more like fax machines, than anything of the supernatural kind. If the weak script didn’t have you reaching for the Panadol, the photography, filmmaking and sound will, reminiscent to that of the X-Files series.
The Mothman Prophecies apparently came short of its $40 million budget in theatres, and it’s not entirely difficult to see why. Not only does the movie forego any sense of closure to the movie, leaving audiences to continue thinking about the “prophecy” long after the credits have finished rolling, but the film drags towards the middle. While it doesn’t have the thriller impact that you would expect, the Mothman’s red eyes will be left imprinted in your brain for many nights after viewing – remember to sleep with the light on.
This X-Files style thriller may appeal to lovers of Mulder and Scully, just remember to take the claims of the movie being based on actual events with a grain of salt.
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