Salt

Dear Angelina,

I am so sorry but I can't give your action film Salt much of a rap as it lacked a little something that is important to a movie. Credibility.

Sure you played a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy but it doesn't mean I'm going to buy a petite woman, trained as she may be, can overcome the entire secret service, the president's aides and her own company as well.

And still come away looking relatively hot.

I wanted so much to like what I was watching but my interest waned far too early for that. Sure, it was okay but really can't cut it when it comes to the genre.

Better luck next time, maybe the script's holes will be plugged up first.

Cheers.

As I said I really wanted to like Salt but after she went on the run, despite already checking my brain at the door, it kept losing me as the story went on and begun its twists (which were fairly predictable).

I read that Salt was originally meant to have a male lead and Tom Cruise was lined up to play the role. I can see him in this kind of movie but I reckon, given the derivative nature of most of his action films of late, Angelina couldn't have done any worse. Having said that she didn't make it a whole lot better.

A 6 out of 10. Just.

Curiosity

At what point should the past stay in the past?
Is it as simple as just leaving it there?
I've been tempted to contact someone from many years ago but know it's not such a good idea.
Needs to stay where it is.
A part of me is a bit curious, who wouldn't be.

Why

Simply an awesome song, this is Why by Rascal Flatts from the album Unstoppable.
Have a listen and try not to tear up, it's a pretty tough job to keep it in.


It must've been in a place so dark you couldn't feel the light
Reachin' for you through that stormy cloud
Now here we are gathered in our little hometown
This can't be the way you meant to draw a crowd

Oh, why? That's what I keep askin'
Was there anything I could have said or done?
Oh, I had no clue you were masking
A troubled soul, God only knows what went wrong
And why you'd leave the stage in the middle of a song

Now in my mind I keep you frozen as a seventeen year old
Roundin' third to score the winning run
You always played with passion no matter what the game
When you took the stage, you shined just like the sun

Oh, why? That's what I keep askin'
And was there anything I could have said or done?
Oh, I had no clue you were masking
A troubled soul, oh, God only knows what went wrong
And why you'd leave the stage in the middle of a song

Now the oak trees are swayin' in the early autumn breeze
The golden sun is shining on my face
The tangled thoughts I hear a mockingbird sing
This old world really ain't that bad a place

Oh, why? There's no comprehending
And who am I to try to judge or explain?
Oh, but I do have one burning question
Who told you life wasn't worth the fight?
They were wrong, they lied, and now you're gone, and we cried
'Cause it's not like you to walk away in the middle of a song
Your beautiful song, your absolutely beautiful song

Where am I now?

One hand says don't second guess
Everything else has already done it
Again and again and again
You're a shot in the arm and a poison arrow
I'm lost in awe and wonder and overcompensation
Sometimes once is too much
Often it is far from enough
My direction has changed so often
In the mind, the heart, the soul, in other ways
It doesn't need to be raised
If I'm not in the game then where am I now
Standing on ground that is shaking
Need you to hold me firmly
Don't send me away
Arms wide open close around
It's warm and comforting but hard to explain
Where am I know if I'm not in the game?

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

There's so much going on in Scott Pilgrim vs The World it's hard to know where to start - like my friend Simon noted you almost need to have A.D.D. to watch it.
Or maybe be drunk.

That may be going a bit far since neither of us were affected by either issue while watching the film. That said, you've got to keep up with what's going on because it's so busy.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 22-year-old bass player living in Toronto and dating (though they've never kissed or held hands) a high school girl Knives Chow (Ellen Wong).

Constant updates on the screen tell us all about Scott's friends and disposition. He lives with (and strangely shares a bed with) his gay best friend Wallace (Kieren Culkin), who seems to have a habit of turning Scott's sister's boyfriends.

Anyway, Scott meets the striking Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and after an awkward conversation about the origins of Pac Man and an internet order they hang out.

Once it is established they are now dating, much to the dismay of Knives, Scott must fight Ramona's seven evil exes to win her heart, or something like that.

The exes are an eclectic bunch and include an actor (Chris Evans), a chick, a vegan with superpowers (Brandon Routh), twins and a grown up geek (Jason Schwartzman).

The only place where this movie falls down is they drag out the battles between Scott and the exes for far too long. We get the point early, it took away from a few far more interesting subplots having to get through the increasingly strange fights. It's a good thing, though, that Scott is an expert at video games since the fights don't seem to take into consideration the fact that Scott is a wiry deep with no obvious upper body strength yet he can defeat much more athletic opponents.

It's a very busy film but it is wonderfully weird, funny and innovative. It just goes on too long and that takes away from the brilliance. Good fun if you like the likes of Kick-Ass from earlier this year.
An 8 out of 10.

Kang vs Kodos

It doesn't really matter who we vote for tomorrow.
Call me overly cynical but do you see sunshine and rainbows if the Coalition is elected? Everything isn't going to become affordable all of a sudden, the boats (the biggest non-issue I've ever seen in an election campaign) aren't just going to stop and the economy isn't going to boom and interest rates aren't going to suddenly drop.
Same goes if the Government is re-elected.
Politicians are all the same - the party's self interest comes first, the people come last. That's why they get hundreds of thousands in pensions when they retire or are booted from parliament and everyone else gets pittance.
Any politician who says that it wrong should speak up and donate their pension to public works or reducing national debt or something else useful.
I bet you none of them do, though.
So in this election it's pretty much like the Simpsons episode where Kang and Kodos take over the bodies of Clinton and Dole and run for president. It doesn't matter who you vote for, you're screwed either way.

Preferred customer

Ever seen the Jim Carrey movie 'The Cable Guy'?
Not everyone's cup of tea, I don't know whether its the black comedy, but as a character he was very interesting.
Underneath everything he was just looking for a friend. OK, so his method was a little over the top and forceful but at the heart that was his simple quest.
He had a saying when it came to some of the people he 'hooked up' with free cable - he called them preferred customers. This was his way of saying he considered them special friends, in his own deluded way. He thought he could buy friendship.
Anyway, why the Cable Guy recap?
Lately I get the feeling that I'm not going to be a 'preferred customer'. As much as I try it just doesn't seem to happen.
I have some good friends, I'm not doubting that, but just when I think there's one that's out of the ordinary it hits a wall. I know I have issue with expecting too much at times but I really hadn't thought that was a problem.
It just gets harder.
Being a priority would be nice sometimes, not just being accommodated.
Maybe the Cable Guy character isn't so far fetched after all.

The Expendables

Take just about every former A-grade action star, add a few wrestlers and other general heavies, two delicious cameos and give them a very B-grade script and you've got The Expendables .

I have to say, aside from some generic gore, it's a pretty entertaining action film. And, if you take a look at some of the character names you can't help but think it's a bit of a send-up of action films as well.

Barney Ross (who is called that?), Toll Road, Ying Yang, Gunner Road, Lee Christmas, Hale Caesar....seriously!

Basically, Sylvester Stallone leads a group of ageing mercenaries into South America to overthrow a dictator. Cue the mindless action.

The cameos as mentioned from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the same scene, were pretty amusing. Really, the only action 'hero' missing was Van Damme.

The only real criticism I have is the role of Jet Li, who was pretty much reduced to the annoying Asian sidekick type of role aside from a few fight scenes.

Overall this was pretty much as I expected and it was pretty enjoyable, in a throwback to the 80s action flicks. It's definitely not the stinker that some reviews have labelled it.

A 7 out of 10.

What I see

Straight up and down
One of a kind
Nothing to hide
Nothing to fear
Intense but insecure
Driven to distraction
Strong but weak
Beautiful and rough
Talented inside and out
Cheeky and sincere

Theory disproven

I've been doing a few more tests on a theory I have had for a while and I have to conclude that the best option is to let it go.
It's one thing to be persistent or to not give up but my theory is never going to happen so I guess you can only bash your head against a wall for so long. It's starting to hurt so I'd better stop.
Probably a few bouts of denial led me to push on with it for as long as I have.
Just a little disappointing but I should focus on other things now.
It's just so f**king childish. So f**king paranoid, I don't get it.
Never will.
Nothing's going to change.
End of story.

Dual touch

Touch.
Distance.
Misunderstanding.
Pointless relationships.
Words without meaning.
Differing views.
Similar thoughts.
Harbouring ghosts.
Travelling in circles.
Tempted.
Resolution but no solution.
Touch.
Comfort.
Symbiosis.
Brotherhood.
More than just words.
Different strokes.
Similar hearts.
Past is the past.
Moving with the times.
Drawn.
Rediscovery.

Understanding

Sometimes you see me but look straight through
It's hard to be in two places
Stuck between me and you
Understanding is easy
There's no strings attached
There's no sky to fall
There's no law broken
There's no picket fence
There's no comfort zone
There's no great release
There's no heavy heart
There's no package deal
Understanding is hard
There's always hope
There's always a dream
There's always fantasy
There's always regret
There's always another time
There's always another place
There's always a healing hand
There's always a stronger man
Fact
Fiction
Dreams
Reality
Wants
Needs
Pleasure
Pain
It's easy to be swept away
The question is, leave or stay?

LFT

Suffered a bad case of low frustration tolerance today.
Grrrrrr.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I'd like it if people could do things, simple things, for themselves. It's not so much being asked to help, that's always good, but gee some tasks are just so easy to work out for yourself. People can be lazy, or ignorant I guess.
Still, makes you want to punch a wall or two at times.

Randomness II

Look.
Do you notice.
Can't you see?
It's not what you say.
Actions speak.
Intention.
What you do.
Don't you know?
You say what you mean.
No cheap words.
Connection.
Lone wanderer.
Do you care?
Not afraid to touch.
Healing hands.
Devotion.
Who we are.
Where are you now?
The same wavelength.
Sounding boards.
Emotion.
What's inside.
How does it feel?
Strength and weakness.
Rock solid.

All these things are true.

Randomness

Sometimes two steps forward, three steps back.
Mostly one step back.
Settle.
Composure.
Need perspective.
Want calm, serene, divine.
Can't always have what you want.
Desire.
Forbidden.
Reluctance.
Don't ruin it.
Observations.
Words.
I love you.
You too.
Meaningful.
Strong.
Impulsive.
Mortal.
Outrageous.
Nothing to gain.
Enough to lose.
I like to win.
We all want what we can't have.
Impact.
Positive vibes.
Less than arm's length.
Secure.

Greenberg

My theory that comedians doing serious films is like rock bands doing ballads - i.e. it never fails - has taken its first hit with the Ben Stiller vehicle Greenberg .

Maybe my expectations were a bit too high.

First up, the story. Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a 40 year old carpenter who has been recently released from a mental home following a nervous breakdown. It's not clear why he had the breakdown. If it was in there it wasn't obvious.

He house sits for his brother and his family when they go to Vietnam for a holiday.

Greenberg doesn't drive, doesn't swim and spends a lot of his time writing letters of complaint to companies he has only moderate experiences with.

(His letter to Starbucks was pretty funny).

He leans on the family's assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig) quite a lot and they strike up a confusing relationship.

I don't know whether it was the script or Stiller's casting or a combination but I left feeling like there was a good movie in there, but it wasn't realised. Stiller didn't look like he was relishing a more serious role but at the same time he wasn't given enough to work with at times. Importantly, Greenberg's mental state wasn't properly addressed, I found it hard to understand why he is how he is.

He tries to reconnect with people from his past, a former flame Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and ex-bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) but winds up alienating them.

I so wanted to like Greenberg a lot more but a severe lack of character development and a really abrupt ending made the job tough. It felt like 10 minutes was cut off at the end.

I can't go higher than 6.5 out of 10. Disappointed.

Inception

Involved isn't a strong enough word to describe the new Christopher Nolan thriller Inception .

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, an expert dream extractor who is tasked with planting an idea in the mind of Fischer (Cillian Murphy) the heir to a powerful businessman who is monopolising the electricity industry.

The process is called Inception, and involves creating layers of a person's dream to penetrate their subconscious.

As we find out the practice comes with plenty of risks.
Along for the ride are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy as Cobb's team and Marion Cotillard is his wife who keeps penetrating his dreams. Michael Caine also has his obligatory appearance in a Nolan film.

This is a hard film to review because I'm not 100 per cent sure I get it.

It is certainly not a movie to see if you're not prepared to concentrate on what's happening. That said it is very entertaining, particularly the many dream sequences.

Nolan has created a world that is mind-boggling to say the least.

Then there's the ending.

After watching The Movie Show on Wednesday night I was somewhat prepared for a clanger of a finale and they weren't wrong. In many ways I'm still spinning and it really does make you think hard about what you have just seen.

Rating this is difficult. I'm going 8.5 out of 10 and if I decide to see it again that could go higher because this is definitely a film that isn't done justice on one viewing.

Willpower

Sometimes I think I'm expending all of my willpower in the wrong places.
Trying to deny yourself certain things isn't always a good move, whether it's something harmless or potentially addictive it doesn't matter.
For those who think they know what I'm talking about, you're wrong.
There's one part of life at the moment that has increasingly become a weakness and I think I must direct some of my willpower into curbing that weakness.
It just makes so much sense.

The Hedgehog (le Herisson)

People will always surprise you.
We spend so much time judging people by their covers there's no time left to discover who they really are.
This is at the heart of The Hedgehog , one of the most captivating films of the year.
A sign of a good foreign film is when you stop noticing the subtitles. Now, I didn't suddenly gain an intimate understanding of French halfway through the film but I was drawn into the story.
Renee (Josiane Balasko) is a widowed, 54-year-old janitor for a swanky apartment building. She's grumpy and generally unappealing.
That is, until someone takes the time to look inside.
Almost against her will Renee is befriended by 11-year-old Paloma, an intelligent girl who has decided she's ending her life on her 12th birthday, and a kindly Japanese widower Kakuru (Togo Igawa).
Paloma sums her up best when she says Renee is like a Hedgehog. Prickly and protective on the outside but an elegant creature on the inside. It's just that nobody took the time to look.
The worst thing is that Renee believes she deserves nothing more than her lonely life with her cat and her books and to be ignored by everyone else.
This hits home when she is finally coaxed out by Kakuru for dinner and passes one of the ladies who resides in the building. The lady greets her because she is elegantly dressed and doesn't recognise her as the janitor.
''She didn't recognise me'', Renee exclaims. ''That's because she's never seen you before'' is Kakuru's wise reply.
This film, which doesn't really have a storyline, is pure magic. The performances from the three main actors are perfect and they needed to be to keep you investing in them.
It's heartwarming, heartbreaking and funny and teaches us that everybody has value regardless of their station in life.
I'm really glad I decided to see this film, one of the best of the year. A 9 out of 10.

Treat me good

Look around you.
There's always someone who is in a worse situation than yourself but we never see that, all we see is our own predicaments.
That's something I am guilty of, even as recently as today.
A friend told me a while back that if you go looking for something wrong with you then you will find it. That's something you know for sure.
I'm good at finding things wrong with myself and it is something that must stop.
Of all the things you can do that are bad for you, I'd argue that high on the list is treating yourself poorly. By that I mean not thinking constructively, positively, and not dwelling too much on things you can't control.
I want so much to change the way that I think. I have come a part of the journey towards achieving that, I have to allow myself that small win, but there's still a way to go.
Sometimes the biggest battle you will have is with yourself.