In the neighbourhood

We went to Pickle for dinner last night with Charlie's mum, and to be totally honest I have mixed feelings about the place. The atmosphere was great; I love the ceiling of pickle jars, the flower arrangements and miss-matched chairs. The drinks menu was also great; we had Six Barrel Soda and Rekorderlig cider. To start we ordered barbeque fries with aoli, and sliders which were delicious and affordable (3 pulled pork with tomato salsa and 3 ham, cheese and pineapple for $20). We were off to a good start, with fries wrapped in a newspaper cone and presented in block of wood, and the sliders on smaller slabs of wood.

But we each chose a large plate to share for dinner (smoked salmon, potato and chive salad; roast chicken, basil pesto and tomato salad; 57°c skirt steak, iceberg salad and condensed milk dressing) and I found them rather lacklustre - no outstanding flavours that Charlie and I would struggle to recreate at home (that's saying something) and little attention to presentation. I'd heard a lot of great things about their quirky dishes, so perhaps we were too conservative with our choices. The staff were friendly, but a little disorganised - we were served by several different people throughout the meal, and asked for our initial drinks order twice.

Overall, it was a nice evening out. I'd definitely go there again for a cider and sliders (and wouldn't mind trying the sausages and something from the sweets menu) but we probably wouldn't bother again for a dinner.

Now, when is Mt Vic Chippery opening?

Firmoo Glasses Review

So this is the first time I've done a semi‐sponsored post ‐ I'm not being paid, but did receive a free pair of glasses from Firmoo to review. Apologies if you start seeing similar posts popping up all over your reader ‐ I have rejected a sponsored review offer in the past because I knew you'd get sick of seeing the same thing everywhere, but to be honest free glasses was too good to resist!

I paid for glasses from a similar company called Zenni Optical in the past, and wrote about them here. Back then I bought three pairs with prescription lenses, and one pair is still serving me well as a back up to my usual contact lenses. I decided to choose clear lenses in the pair I accepted from Firmoo ‐ since I do already have an emergency pair for vision, this pair would be more for fashion. I know wearing clear glasses irritates some people, but at least I'm legitimately short sighted, right...?

I ended up choosing this style, in the tortiseshell colour (which appears to be out of stock as I write this, but there are two other colours still available). They are quite a similar shape to my favourite pair of those I got from Zenni, but these ones have thinner frames which I prefer looks‐wise. The hinge is of a much better quality than my pair from Zenni, and I was impressed that Firmoo included spare screws and a small screwdriver tool on a keyring with my glasses.

Shipping was from China, very speedy, and delivered by a courier requiring a signature which is always reassuring. The one thing that did irk me was the marketer's lack of response to my questions after their initial approach ‐ obviously they'll be putting the offer out to screeds of people and firing off copy/paste responses, but that was a little annoying and hopefully not a reflection on their responses to customer service enquiries.

In saying that, I don't think anyone wanting to purchase from Firmoo would have much need to make enquiries ‐ the ordering process is very straight forward, provided you have your prescription details from your optometrist handy. The range is pretty easy to navigate, and I appreciate that Firmoo's website has a sliding measure for selecting your preferred price range. They also offer a try‐on service, where you can look at glasses on models with different face shapes which is fun ‐ you can also upload your own photo to do this, though it requires an email sign up or log‐in with your Facebook account.

From my experience buying from these two companies, I think Firmoo is slightly superior to Zenni due to their packaging quality and delivery (although keep in mind my order from Zenni was several years ago). If you're in the market for some new eyewear, I'd definitely recommend checking out Firmoo at the moment as they have a special offer for anyone who wants to take it up. For a limited time, if you go here you can order a free pair of glasses and pay only the shipping cost (and those of you who are bloggers can have this cost waived in exchange for writing a review, if approved).

Let me know if you check out Firmoo's range, and also if you know of any other bargain eyewear websites!

Snow on tha Bluff

Snow on tha Bluff is a film I almost definitely would not have given a chance if it weren't for Charlie, but I started watching the opening scene over his shoulder and was immediately gripped. Despite knowing absolutely nothing about the plot, I could immediately tell the seemingly cheery opening scene was about to turn nasty due to its handheld camera/found footage similarities to Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project. It's not terrifying in a paranormal, jump‐out‐of‐your‐skin way, but its realism is frightening and moving.

The opening scene that intrigued me is purely setting up real life "robbery boy and crack dealer" Curtis Snow's acquisition of a video camera, which he steals at gunpoint from a trio of youths looking to buy drugs. From there the camera's passed around his crew, documenting their lifestyle of drug raids and drive bys in their Atlanta neighbourhood known as the Bluff.

To be honest, a lot of the time my unaccustomed ears struggled to understand Snow's on‐camera narration of his life, but despite this it's not a difficult plot to follow at all.

I don't feel the film can really be spoiled by warning you there's no feel good redemption or sign things are going to get better for Snow and his community. The final scene is one of few in the film I can feel certain was staged, as Snow uses a payphone to contact a video editing business before walking away from camera down a day-lit street.

While promoting the film, the makers appear to have wavered a little on their claim of how little footage was scripted, apparently following police enquiries ‐ Snow was reportedly arrested five times during filming. Unlike with the initial uncertainty about The Blair Witch Project's authenticity, I think it's irrelevant to the audience how much of Snow on tha Bluff is acted. Even if the characters are not real residents of the Bluff, I think it's an important movie to watch as these troubled lives are being lived the world over, "ev'ry day, all day".



Further reading:
Blake Butler's visit to the Bluff
NYT review of Snow on tha Bluff

Image source.

Perfect Sense

If you're viewing this in a reader, click over to my blog and let me know what you think of the new look.

A few months ago now, I was intrigued by the film trailer for Perfect Sense on YouTube, mainly because it stars Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. Hello. It's also directed by David Mackenzie who was responsible for one of my all time favourites (and another starring McGregor), Young Adam. Sold, I had to watch it immediately.

The trailer reveals next to nothing about the plot, but it's one of those films where you can't really spoil all that much by telling people about it anyway as shown in this concise tagline from IMDb; a chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions. It's sort of a film you see to enjoy the experience, rather than to follow an amazing twisted story - though the story is excellent!

I thought it was brilliant, and if you haven't seen it then I recommend you do so. I hadn't really heard anything about it before stumbling upon the trailer, but I'm not sure whether it wasn't heavily promoted or whether I just had my head in the sand at the time of its release.

Regardless of whether you've seen it yet or not, the idea of completely losing your senses one by one is pretty frightening, and an interesting idea to consider. If it were inevitable that you would soon lose each sense, what would you want to experience before it were gone? I've made my own little list below (have alphabetised them so they may or may not be in the same order as in the film - spoilers are no fun) and would love to know what would make your sensory bucket list.

HEARING

• Voices of all my loved ones. And maybe a recording of my own voice, too, since I don't get to hear what it "really" sounds like all that often. I probably wouldn't mind blocking out Wallace's early morning meows, but I'd definitely want to hear his purring
• I'm fairly sure I would listen to as much Rufus Wainwright as my ears could absorb
• I'm not really a classical music fan or anything but I'd want to attend something with a live orchestra. Ooh, like a concert of a film score? That would be perfect

SIGHT

• Obviously people's faces, as many as possible
• The night sky
• I'd want to see as much art in person as I could - I'd, probably selfishly, want to see more art than I'd want to create my own
• I'd want to see as much of the world as I could, which wouldn't really be possible if sticking to the film plot's time restraints. Thank goodness for my beloved Street View
• If I did have enough time, I'd want to see New York, aurora borealis, and Guanabara Bay

SMELL

• All kinds of foodie smells - bakeries and espresso and... ooh, frying bacon
• Orange and sandalwood essential oil
• Farm smells, beach smells
• Dior Homme Sport

TASTE

• The Marlborough salmon dish I had at Ortega recently - so good!
• All the chocolate
• I think I'd miss the taste of beverages more than the taste of food - so many beers, coffees, and milkshakes!

TOUCH

• Obviously again, hugs and kisses and the like
• Cuddles with Wallace, who is pretty much the softest fluffy cat I've ever met (also known as the most pampered)
• Walking on sand and jumping in shallow waves
• The feeling of taking off in an aeroplane, if that counts

Let me know what you think if you watch the film! And tell me what would make your list below.

Lazy reviews

Shame (2011)

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.

I'd been very much looking forward to seeing this, as you can probably guess. Carey Mulligan was troubled but beautiful, Michael Fassbender was at times vulgar but still gorgeous, and they are both fabulous actors. But oh my word, this film was a snore. Perhaps I'm growing out of my affection for moody films in which not-a-whole-lot-takes place. Perhaps I watched it on a less-than-ideal day. But I won't be giving it another go.

Fish Tank (2009)

Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.

Admittedly, again Fassbender was babein' (perhaps his best, besides as Archie Hicox in Inglourious), but I loved the film itself. I thought the girl who played Mia was brilliant, although I'm not sure how much of a stretch from real life the role was for her (I Facebook stalked). This film reminded me a lot of All or Nothing, but with far more attractive actors (although thinking about it I probably don't watch many films set in English housing estates and that's probably the only shared theme). I'm clearly no film reviewer, and I really don't know how the pros write so much without giving away film plots. To be clear - I loved this film, but overall it is not a light nor cheery plot. But you should watch it, and I definitely will be again.

Hunger (2008)

Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.

Like Shame, this was directed by Steve McQueen, but I appreciated this offering a heck of a lot more. Fassbender's scary weight loss and an amazing single shot of over 15 minutes of dialogue are two well publicised reasons why you should see this film. It's intense and brutal, and especially disturbing to an ignoramus like myself who only did some Googling to learn about the conflict and hunger strikes after watching it. I definitely recommend it, though probably won't be in a great hurry for a second viewing myself - too unsettling.

Italic text source.

I can't remember the images' sources.

The Final Testament of the Holy Bible

Warning: Possible spoilers. Depends how picky you are. And contains a touch of crude language. 

I first read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces in 2007, which was after the Oprah controversy (read about that here). I agree with Oprah that he was dishonest, but I didn't care whether it was fact or fiction- really, what difference does it make to me? Worse things than his invented experiences happen every single day. In saying this, I wouldn't name it among my favourite books (which are here, if you're curious). It was a great story, but did drag a big, and his writing style irks me a little- lack of punctuation especially, as well as left aligned pages. I know it's intentional, but unlike the brilliant sporadic punctuation and unconventional format in House of Leaves, I just don't see the point in omitting all quotation marks from character dialogue.

Despite these mixed views on AMLP, I was really looking forward to the release of Frey's latest novel The Final Testament of the Holy Bible. I ordered a copy from Fishpond a couple of weeks ago, and sat down to read it the moment it arrived. Before I get into the actual story, I'd be curious to hear from anyone else who has the paperback edition like me- the cover image is extremely shitty and pixelated (for want of a better technical term) though not so much that it seems intentional. Has anyone else seen this? Did I get a dud?

But hey, I refused to negatively judge the book by its cover... I did, however, make the mistake of getting excited over the synopsis, which shouts

THEY SAY THE MESSIAH IS ALIVE.

HE IS LIVING IN NEW YORK.

SLEEPING WITH MEN.

IMPREGNATING WOMEN.

EUTHANASING THE DYING.

HEALING THE SICK.

DEFYING THE GOVERNMENT AND CONDEMNING THE HOLY.

IF YOU MET HIM AND HE CHANGED YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU BELIEVE?

To give you some background on my lack of religion- I wasn't baptised, but did go to a Catholic primary school (not something I resent at all- I feel I recieved a brilliant education there), then grew up and realised I didn't believe a word being spoken in mass. I wouldn't call myself an atheist or an agnostic... I honestly just don't really care about religion, and in turn it doesn't really bother me what faith anyone else has. I do however love blasphemous art, I love a bit of controversy, and the concept of the Messiah returning to modern Earth sounded like a brilliant drinking-round-a-campfire conversation, extended into a literary work of art.

The book started off by meeting my expectations. Like the Bible, not a word is told from the "Messiah" Ben Zion's perspective, but through the eyes of twelve other characters. The initial mystery surrounding Ben Zion was effective, and chapters told through the eyes of Mariaangeles and Charles were brilliantly written. In Charles' chapter, Ben Zion is involved in a horrific accident... and everything starts to go downhill from there, until the final few chapters when the story becomes, frankly, ridiculous. Halfway through I could almost hear the screaming I am James Frey, and I got totally got off over offending people on Oprah! How to shock more people? Let's turn the second coming of the Messiah into a satyromaniac!

After about the fifth sexual encounter, it stopped being edgy and challenging and became desperate. The faux preaching dragged on so long near the end, that I started skim reading pages. It was so frustrating to me, as there were brilliant moments scattered throughout the book, such as the following quote (which I cannot be bothered finding in my copy right now, so am trusting the website I found it reproduced on is accurate):

"And that the Catholic Church, filled with celibate men who have no experience with it, has no right telling other people how to love or who to love or what kind of love is right or wrong."

What did I miss? I wanted to like this book so badly, but it was such a disappointment. I'm not one to return a book, whether I like it or not. But I think it's safe to say it won't be emerging from my bookshelf in my own hands any time soon.

Erasing David

Have I told you what I do?

Basically my new job involves watching TV news and current affairs programmes, and listening to radio bulletins and talkback shows, at high speed and summarising the content as I go. Why yes, it is as interesting, stimulating, and awesome as it sounds!

Last week I listened to a segment with film reviewer and blogger Lina Lamont. She talked about a bunch of films that are currently showing at the Auckland Documentary Edge Festival. Unfortunately the one that stood out for me is not showing in the Wellington festival, but I managed to watch it online over the weekend.

The film was called Erasing David, and was made by English filmmaker David Bond. In a very brief nutshell, Bond discovers that a disc containing information about his family members was misplaced by the British Government. The disc contained information about thousands of other people, and though he is advised of the error, he is told not to be concerned. However, this discovery sends him on an obsessive investigation into what information various companies and organisations hold on members of the British public. He writes to around eighty separate entities requesting that they send him copies of their records containing his person information, and receives stacks of paper in return.

Erasing David follows Bond's journey, as he decides to 'disappear' with his camera for a month, and hire two private investigators who are instructed to find him. They are given only his name, but quickly use the Internet to determine who he is, and where he is from. After he has 'disappeared' for only a matter of hours, they are observing Bond's house where his pregnant wife resides, and stealing her rubbish in the hopes of finding more information.

It is fascinating to see how easily they are able to determine very recent movements of a person who is deliberately trying to hide from them. Earlier interviews with privacy experts and victims of misidentification are cut throughout the film of his journey, which lessens the tension of the film slightly. Bond gets surprisingly intense and paranoid throughout the relatively short time he is 'in hiding', despite the controlled circumstances he is under- especially that he hired the private investigators himself.

Without revealing too much, I found the ending a bit 'what if...?' because it involved an unusual circumstance in his life. I can't help wondering whether the film would have been improved if he had waited a year or two later to make the film, but I guess life always gets in the way.

In summary, I'd definitely recommend that those of you enjoy documentaries watch Erasing David. It's quite fascinating, especially to see the variety of techniques the private investigators use (not that, admittedly, they're explored in much detail) to find out information about Bond.

The Town: Film Review

I went along to the premiere screening at Reading last night with little knowledge about this film’s plot or cast. Despite knowing many intimacies of his personal life with Gwyneth and the Jennifers, I wasn’t too familiar with Ben Affleck’s cinematic career. However I developed an appreciation for his acting talent as the film progressed, and the revelation that he also screenwrote and directed the film when the final credits rolled was a pleasant surprise (to me, because I don’t research).

I love heist movies, so the opening scene grabbed me immediately. Doug (Ben Affleck), Jem (Jeremy Renner) and two of their friends storm in to rob a Boston bank, with Halloween masks hiding their faces. Claire (Rebecca Hall) is quickly introduced as the bank manager, who is forced to open the bank safe and then briefly taken as a hostage. My favourite aspect of this scene is the way it is fragmented with silent CCTV footage, giving each cut back to the bank a loud, violent, gunshot-like impact.

I enjoyed Hall’s performance as Claire right from this beginning (although it took me at least half the film to work out I recognised her from The Prestige which was distracting). I enjoy films that give the audience their first impression of a character in an extreme situation, and her fearful, slow walk to the water’s edge at the end of this (quite long) opening sequence was shot beautifully.

From the bank robbery onwards, The Town extends on the action, and also brings in a great deal of drama and romance.

Doug begins self-preserving surveillance of Claire, trying to make sure she has nothing on them to pass on to the FBI. They soon share a charming encounter in Claire’s local laundromat; she breaks down crying and he makes her giggle. A relationship quickly develops (which she says her friend described as a “rebound from the bank robbery” later in the film).

I felt the subplot about Doug’s mother was dwelled on too much throughout the film, considering how little value it added to the conclusion; and probably could have been cut out altogether.

I didn’t really like the character of Krista (Blake Lively), but this too was due to her weak ties to the central plot, and not a reflection on Lively’s performance. In her first scene I assumed she was Doug’s paid whore, though we soon learn she’s just a bit drug fucked, has a daughter and a history with Doug, and is also Jem’s sister. She had very little screen time with Doug throughout the film, so her emotional outbursts towards the end came across a little unconvincing.

The variety within the film kept a great pace- I found myself just beginning to tire of the ‘sap’ when another action sequence would begin. There are a few lackluster scenes, but overall I thought it was a great film, and I was impressed by it even before I knew the director. I definitely recommend you check it out.