a warped view

"Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers  And they've been known to pick a song or two  Lord they get me off so much  They pick me up when I'm feeling blue  Now how about you?" - Lynyrd Skynyrd Chances are you've never heard of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It is highly likely however, that you've heard  of Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and the Rolling Stones. All of these artists, and many, many others, recorded some of their most popular, successful and groundbreaking songs and albums at both Fame Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals. This beautifully shot documentary, named after the town, takes viewers on a journey through history, introducing us to the key players and a supporting cast of famous faces.  Utilising, interviews, archive footage, photos, sound clips and some of the greatest music ever recorded, Muscle Shoals introduces us to the men who made ...

It's always so hard to pick just a handful of films from the Revelation Perth International Film Festival (or Rev as it's affectionately known) lineup to recommend. When people ask me what they should see my answer is usually "ALL THE THINGS!". But I'm going to do my darnedest to pick out the best of the best. I'm going to split it into three different categories, my top 5 features, my top 5 documentaries and my overall top 5. Anything that makes it into the overall top 5 won't be included in the other two because that would be silly. Top 5 Features White Reindeer A Field in England Gimme the Loot Cheap Thrills A Monster in Paris (A kids movie and showing in 3D!) Check out the trailer for the not-your-average-Christmas-movie White Reindeer here Top 5 Documentaries Burn The Act of Killing  Fierce Green Fire Sunset Strip Hunter The trailer for The Act of Killing is here . It's chilling stuff. and now, DRUMROLL... Top 5...

It's a time in our lives that most of us will never forget, even if we want to. It is that time between leaving our childhoods behind and not quite being adults yet. For some of us it was hell, for some of us it was the best years of our lives, but for all of us it helps define who we are. For this list I didn't just want movies where the kids where of high school age, I wanted movies set in high schools, where high school is the centre of everything that happens in the movie. This meant a lot of otherwise awesome movies didn't make the cut. I surprised myself a little when I'd finished compiling my list and saw that all the movies I'd chosen are from before 1990. I guess they just don't make 'em like they used to. Here are my picks on the Top 3 High School Movies 1. Dead Poets Society (1989) While this is a male dominated movie I think us gals can relate to the themes and issues discussed; finding your own identity, establishing your personal...

Our first Threesome Thursday is inspired by the fact that earlier this week I watched Finding Nemo with the gorgeous @shellzii to help cheer her up. When I say I watched it with her, she was at her house and I was at my house and we tweeted our favourite lines and moments to each other. I'm sure everyone else found it very annoying ;) So here are my top 3 Pixar Partnerships 1. Dory & Marlin (Finding Nemo) The relationship that builds between these two is so incredibly beautiful. Its a platonic friendship that is so innocent and pure and brings out the absolute best in both of them. I am slightly biased towards this pair up because Dory is my spirit animal! Here are some of the top moments of the film followed by one of the saddest moments of any film ever, it breaks my heart every time. "No. No, you can't... STOP. Please don't go away. Please? No one's ever stuck with me for so long before. And if you leave... if you leave... I just, I rememb...

Sometime ago there was a regular thing on Tuesdays where we all posted ten things we were grateful for that day. I haven't done it for a while and thought it was probably time for more gratitude so Tuesdays will now be known as Ten Tuesday and will be full of thanks. Feel free to join in in the comments section, on your own blog (put the link in the comments so we can all read), share on twitter with the hash tag #10tuesday or jot them down in a notebook (so bespoke!) I am grateful that... 1. I am surrounded by people I love and that love me 2. this year I might finally figure out what I want to be when I grow up 3. I have been given the opportunity to go on an amazing adventure 4. people believe in me 5. big splashes of rain just fell on my head 6. I have an overseas holiday to count down to 7. I had a lovely dinner with my family tonight 8. I have both Bahen & Co. and Gabriel chocolates hidden away in my house for when I need them 9. I have people that I can talk ...

While surfing my way around the interwebs last night I was reminded of one of my favourite movie scenes from the 1996 movie Fear . After watching all 16 seconds of it several times I realised that I seem to have a bit of an obsession with creepymen in movies or scenes containing psychos!. So here, in no particular order are my top five psycho starring movie scenes... 1. Fear (1996) starring the super creepy and very sexy Mark Wahlberg as boyfriend turned extremely persistent stalker (click here for a longer version that explains more of what is going on) 2. The Shinning (1980) starring the wonderful Jack Nicholson as tormented and haunted Jack Torrance. Wendy, darling, light of my life... 3. Pulp Fiction (1994) this scene with Samuel L Jackson has to be everyone's favourite right? Say what again! 4. Con Air (1997) the always amazing Steve Buscemi is delightfully creepy in this film as serial killer Garland Greene (also known as the Marietta Mangler). There is...

something you're proud of in the past few days So I've been putting off writing this post. Whenever I do one of these blogging things there is always something that puts a road block in my way. One post that brings everything to a screaming halt and destroys any mojo I may have had going. Right now I am struggling to think of anything I'm proud of. It's been a rough month and a half (ish) and my confidence has taken a pretty big hit (again). That ridiculous depression voice is in my ear telling me that all of the worthlessness is me. That I have little, if anything, of value to offer. This isn't helped by losing my contract for work (long, boring story). More proof that I am shit. SHUT UP DEPRESSION VOICE! However I now have a tiny glimmer of awesomeness that I am clinging to. My inflatable life saver of light. I have been offered the opportunity to work on a film next year. Not only that, but I will be working with some of the newest additions to my list o...

favorite super hero and why The 2010 Day Six can be found here growing up I was never really into superheroes. I read comics but it was mostly Archie comics with some occasional British comics that I can't remember the name of. My dad was right into the Phantom but I was never particularly interested, I did however love reading his Asterix books. I vaguely remember watching Superman movies when I was a kid, and have enjoyed the various incarnations of Superman that have appeared on TV.  I became slightly more interested in the world of marvel via some friends when I was in high school and as a "grown up" I've fallen in love with the new breed of superheroes that have graced the silver screen the last few years. I am a little sad at the predominantly male culture associated with the surge in superhero movies and TV shows etc. Don't get me wrong I'm as big a fan of the male superheroes as the next girl (hello Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth & Jeremy...

I know Rev is already over but I didn't get a chance to post this from youtube on to the blog so I'm doing it now.

I totally forgot to post this to the blog yesterday! I've been a bit sleepy the last few nights!

The films we saw today. I was a bit tired and forgetful so I didn't do my recommendations for Monday. There's actually only 5 sessions on Monday and I recommend each and everyone one of them! There's Last Days of the Arctic, Paul Williams, the Color Wheel, the first Crispin Glover Session and Love. If you want to see any of the movies we saw today they are on again on the following days; the Way of the Morris is on Friday at 5pm, Bad Brains is on next Sunday at 8:45pm and Whisperer in the Darkness is on Thursday at 5pm.

I am heartbroken... I feel like the little kid who finds out that Santa was just her dad in a costume with a pillow up his shirt. I LOVE and adore Kevin Smith and his movies. I am an unrepentant fan girl. I have seen every movie he has made multiple times (well except Cop Out but I made it ALL the way through the one time so that's gotta count for something). I quote characters from the View Askewniverse and worship Jason Mewes and his character Jay. I watch videos of Kevin on youtube, I own his book and I have two signed Silent Bob inaction figures. I have even watched the commentary on all the Jersey films! I EVEN LIKED JERSEY GIRL! So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Kevin Smith was making a horror movie (Red State). I read every article I could about it, I checked out the cast, watched other movies they'd been in while I waited for Red State to be made. I was dying to see this amazing new movie, one of my favourite movie makers doing a movie in one of my ...

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to attend a preview screening of Paranormal Activity 3. I had originally been skeptical of this movie franchise, being under the false impression that it was Blair Witch without the woods. We resisted seeing the first one for quite a while until one night there was nothing else to watch. I was pleasantly surprised. Here was a good old fashioned scary movie. One that didn't rely on blood and gore but instead used mood, sound and old fashioned bump in the night stuff. Number 2 was the same and luckily number 3 has stuck to the same formula. If you don't know the premise behind the franchise you should still enjoy this movie. Despite the fact that it is number three and yet all the events take place before the first and second one, the stories are linked but not so intrinsically that you won't understand what is going on. I should point out that I am not really someone who is scared by horror films. My friends and I watched my first horror...

Wow! Just wow! This is one of the most amazing pieces of cinema I have seen. Tyrannosaur is Paddy Considine directorial debut and I really hope the first of many outstanding films from this actor-turned-director. Dealing with subject matter that is uncomfortable and cringe inducing it takes a very human story and makes it something that is beautiful to behold. At times this film was so hard to watch and I can't count the number of times my hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp. Despite the brutality of the subject matter the two leads managed to portray two beautifully fragile human beings who the audience could really care about and the interactions between them while being so real managed to avoid the ridiculous stereotypes we often see in these types of films. This film made me cry, made my heart break and then filled it back up again with hope. It made me so pleased that there are people in the world brave enough to tell stories that don't have happy endings where ev...

As a fan of the movies adapted from the writing of Philip K Dick I was very excited to see this adaptation of the story of the same name. Dealing with dream visions, messages from beyond, communists, social control, oppression of civil rights, aliens and lasers it is Dick's most autobiographical novel. The story and film both feature a character named after Dick and several plot elements based on actual events from his life. The film contains several familiar faces, though none of them as well known as god herself, Alanis Morrisette (a personal favourite). The ensemble cast performed well, creating likable (or unlikeable if necessary)characters that were easy to become involved with. I was invested in the story and the fates of each player, hoping for the best. There were times the story moved slowly, where perhaps the director could have been a bit more ruthless with the editing (the lack of ruthlessness may be because the director was also the writer of the screenplay). The pac...

Last night we saw the movie Fire in Babylon. The synopsis states it's a 2010 documentary film about the record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980. Now if you are anything like me you are probably already starting to tune out. Cricket?! Pfft! How could that possibly be an interesting movie? Well let me tell you right now that this movie is better than you could possibly imagine! Starting around the late 60's and early 70's and filled with stock footage and interviews with players, academics, and people of cultural significance in the West Indies it is an inspiring, uplifting, sometimes confrontational, sometimes hilarious look at how the rise to success of one group of men lifted an entire people up above the oppression, racism and helplessness they'd endured for over 300 years. The movie talks about the 1975 test series when Australia massacred the West Indies, embarrassing them internationally and cementing the label of Calypso Cricketers. It a...