Avatar (Contains Spoilers)

Or, should that rightly be “James Cameron’s Avatar”? I’m not sure. Personally, if I were him, I’d stick my name all over this as well! James Cameron, throughout his career and within the film-making community, is widely regarded as someone who with each film he makes, pushes the boundaries of what is capable with cinema effects that little bit more. Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic - all are just a few examples of how his name has now become synonymous with creating ground-breaking effects in films. Avatar, it would seem, is less so much pushing the boundaries, but more giving them a great big kick square in the ass over the edge of a cliff!

When going to see Avatar (or James Cameron’s… ok, just Avatar for now!) it’s best to bear in mind that this film has been made using the most ground-breaking, cutting-edge technology that you can possibly get right now (so that’s where all that extra Oscar revenue from Titanic went?) and should therefore be viewed in the best possible quality. That’s why it was made, that’s how it’s intended to be viewed, and that’s the best way to experience it. 2D might not quite cut it in places unless it’s in the best digital possible, 3D will be explained in this review, and IMAX (I’m gonna guess here) would possibly make you open your eyes so wide they’d fall out of their sockets. Avatar was filmed with the intention of it being screened in Digital, 3D or better (IMAX, then) and they used filming equipment and CGI that would make all of this possible. The whole film is about 50/50 between digital effects and actual actors and sets. Right from the opening, you can tell that this will be visually amazing. Or, at least, that is what I’d hoped…

I would like to say, right at this point, that I am in NO WAY disappointed with the visuals of the actual film. Not at all. In fact, I’d go so far as to agree with the presses and film reviews that yes, this is in fact the most stunningly visual film I have seen lately, and does in fact push the boundaries of modern film viewing to new heights. Yes, yes, this is all true, and we’ve all heard it by now. No, my main qualm is this – whether it was just this particular cinema or not, I don’t know, but the 3D glasses you get seem to have a tint to them. Almost like they’re semi-sunglasses. I assume that this is what they use in the lens to make it (duh) 3D – but what this also means is that it dulls the brightness of the screen that little bit more. This really disappointed me, as I went to see this film to be blown away by the brightness and vividness of the scenery and the world of Pandora that James Cameron has created. Unfortunately, I had to partly sacrifice this for seeing the whole thing brought to me in 3D. Now, in hindsight, this might not be so bad – seeing it in 3D does make essential differences to the viewing that you would not otherwise get. But part of me couldn’t help wondering if they could have compensated for this by making the 3D version that much brighter on the screen?

3D visuals or not, this does not detract any more from the story itself. James Cameron has actually said that Avatar is his own personal “environmental” film, and they do not in ANY way shy away from that in the storyline. Certain reviewers have said that at points towards the end, Avatar gets a bit touchy-feely, a bit cliché, even a bit “tree-huggy”. Whilst this is true to a certain extent – there are distinct parallels between Avatar and other environmental statements such as Fern Gully or even Pocahontas if you want to go that far – it is easy to see how it COULD be hugely more cliché and soppy in the last hour or so. They’ve clearly been able to take a step back during making this and dial down the Hollywood Fodder in the scriptwriting process, and decided that actually people don’t need this rammed down their throats. As such, for me personally it was only bordering on getting crappily cliché.

I’m sure many people by now know exactly what Avatar is about, but let’s recap in brief anyway – Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic ex-marine who gets enrolled in the Avatar programme on the planet Pandora which is inhabited by the Na’Vi race who are 10 foot tall blue humanoids who live in the forests. Sully gets an Avatar of a Na’Vi which responds to his brainwaves and he controls, and is sent to live with the Na’Vi and learn all about them. (It should be mentioned at this point that Sigourney Weaver plays her part very well also, and you grow to like her character throughout the duration of the film.) The Marines want to be typically human and blitz the place and mine the shit out of it for expensive materials, and Sully ends up siding with the Na’Vi after seeing all the wonderful things they can do and connect with in their world, and after losing the trust of the people then goes on to become a great tribal warrior whom they all now see as a great leader. Massive fights ensue, Sully and one of the local girls fall in love, then out of love, then in love again (que violins…) and ultimately Good triumphs over Selfishness once again. Cliche? Perhaps in theory, but when watching it, you’re not really thinking of the overall concept. Instead your focussing on the minor details. Like the parallel being drawn between the Settlers and the Natives in America, or the Deforestation of the Amazon. Or how the script comes worryingly close to being very cliché, but manages to disguise it just enough to avoid groaning at the screen. Or how cool that shot of a Ten Foot Tall Blue Dude jumping onto a massive flying creature looked…

Essentially, if you’re going to watch Avatar you should be a bit prepared for certain things. Firstly, it is a long film, clocking in at about 2 hours 30 minutes. Not THAT long compared to certain other effects-driven blockbusters (Thanks, Lord of the Rings!), and it doesn’t really drop into being slow at any point because you’re still fixated on how amazing the whole thing looks, but you should not expect a short film in any case. Secondly, the message of environmentalism will NOT be discreet. It will, in fact, be very prominent, but not to the point of rubbing it in the audiences faces. Much. BUT, that’s the whole point behind Avatar - it’s mixing action with a vital purpose, really. Thirdly, it does get a bit spiritual – the “connection” that the Na’Vi have to all the life (sometimes a literal connection, with their ponytails connecting to the creatures they ride in a slightly creepy way…) on Pandora gets a bit spiritual at points, but again, this is just one more metaphor that they draw. Fourthly, the violence is relentless at points. The Marines bomb the living shit out of the Na’Vi homeland and don’t blink an eye. People die. A lot. So, unless you’re ready to explain to your five-year-old about casualties of war when they were expecting a film about big blue hippies, you may want to prepare. But again, strangely, this is actually something I liked – it doesn’t hold back. It’s harsh, yes, but at least it’s truthful and real. It doesn’t sugar-coat anything at these points, and that’s an actual eye-opener. Good on you, Cameron…

And lastly, YES, those big mechanical things the Marines use to blitz the living crap out of things? Those ARE, basically, the Powerloaders from Aliens! Stop pointing that out, people! James Cameron came up with those, he can use them as much as he likes!

Anyway, regardless of the fact that I’ll probably have to see it again (but IMAX next time!) so that I can appreciate the visuals and details that little bit more, Avatar was a hugely entertaining film that did in fact amaze me visually. The story perhaps could have run ever-so slightly deeper, and strayed ever-so slightly further away from the cliche-border, but as it stands they did a good job of getting the message out there and mixing it with the action sequences just right as well. I’d probably have to give (James Cameron’s…) Avatar about a 7 out of 10, but that could be likely to change once I get to see it again without the colours being dulled by 3D glasses!

They’ve built WHAT now?!

I have JUST been told by a friend that a rumoured Harry Potter Theme Park is now in completion and will be opening in Spring 2010. I first heard about plans for this Theme Park a couple of years ago in the papers, along with artists renderings of what the final completed park would look like and what attractions it would have. But, after not hearing anymore about it (partly out of lack of interest for the most part in anything Harry Potter, and partly because I guess they were avoiding making it too much of common knowledge so that people will be more excited about it!) I assumed that plans for it had been scrapped for whatever reason they may have. In hindsight, this was probably a bit dense of me to think that they WOULDN’T do this – it’s the ultimate “raking-it-in” idea, really! But still, my friend has sent me a link to the promotional video for the Theme Parks opening. This link, I have also decided to post below, so thanks for the link Jamie!:

http://www.universalorlandoresort.com/harrypotter/first_look_uo.html

Now, first of all, I’ve noticed two majorly disappointing things – 1) WHY is it in America when it’s actually a British institution, set in Britain and has a British cast, and could potentially make even more money by setting up partnerships with airlines for all the people who would be travelling to come to it? and 2) How come it’s being put in Universal Studios Orlando (which, admittedly, is Theme Park Central and would definitely have the funding to undertake such a monstrous project) when the production company behind it are Warner Brothers, who are situated (perhaps more fittingly) in Los Angeles?

Whilst these might only be trivial things in the long run, there are many other things about this Theme Park to mention. I’d like to put in at this point that I’m NOT saying either way that this is a good idea or a bad one – completely unbiased as yet as I haven’t seen enough of it to make a full decision either way yet. BUT, I have seen enough from the video to know this much:

Firstly, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (as it is now called) is most definitely a HUGE corporate investment, much in the same way Disneyland is. This is basically Disneyland for teenagers who are “too cool” to go there anymore. Immediately, as you go through the entry gates, there is the “Main Street” of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is basically a mixture of the Hogsmead Village and Diagon Alley. So, in short, this is where all the money-making happens!! Hugely priced themed pubs, Sweet shops where the kids can get all sugared-up for the day, joke shops and souvenir shops where you can buy ANYthing that you can slap Harry’s bespectacled mug onto (que the introduction of the I Heart So-And-So T-shirts and Hermione’s range of perfume…) for whatever price they deem “reasonable”, all behind massively printed signs and bright lights to get the kids interested in just how much cash the Adults are carrying on them at the time… But, one thing I did think was cool, was the Wand Shop that you will be able to go to where you can supposedly get your own personal wand. This is that fine line between bringing in people’s wallets and bringing people into the magic of Harry Potter Land. Having your own personal wand for the day will make ALL the difference for certain people – crossing that line between consumerism and fantasy-brought-to-life.

The rest of the park looks to be pretty straight forward – rides and attractions and shows all based around the different features of Harry’s world. The Hippogriff rollercoaster, the Dragon fighting attraction, etc, all of which would clearly be backed-up by the highest of effects budgets considering just how much this franchise has now been able to rake in. Also, the Hogwarts Castle Adventure looks like it will be an all-encompassing, multi-sensory, fully immersing dive into the World of Wizards, where the guests will fully believe that they are part of this magnificent world that up until now they have only been able to read about or see on the screen thanks to Hollywood Effects and CGI. Or, at least, that’s the angle that they will be going for…

The promotional video obviously explains more about what the park will have, but it is set to open its gates in Spring 2010, so you can expect families with young kids or couples that are a bit too geeky for their own good to be booking their summer holiday to Orlando a lot this year, and expect to be paying for it for quite a while afterwards! It does beg the question as to whether the amount of expenses would be worth the memorable experience of it all - so it could either be the most magical Theme Park thought up, or a shine to ALL that is consumerism! But, I guess that will all be revealed once it has opened to the public, or once we see more of what The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer.

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part The Final

After not being at a computer since Friday night, I haven’t really had much of a chance to update this journal and give it a proper round off, mostly because of being busy with things immediately as I got home. I originally wanted to update this from the airport, but that turned out to be out of the window when by the time I decided to sit down and have a chance to write anything, they let us on to the plane! Anyway, this is the official round-off to the journal, after getting home, semi-unpacking and then re-packing again as I spontaneously decided to drive with a friend up to Bristol for a couple of days after only being back in the country for 24 hours. Adventurous? Very much so…

I mostly just wanted to put down how much California has taught me. It’s taught me that Creativity Generates Creativity, and that many things are possible if you’re willing to work for them hard enough and are determined enough to get to where you want to go. It’s shown me a new life, a different life, that is all too possible to live – whether that would ACTUALLY be in California or not, as much as I would want it to be. It has shown me many things that I am capable of doing, and just how much can be open for you when you look for it. It’s shown me a better attitude to living – one where you actually live! It’s the attitude that does things because you want to do them, because they’re fun and they make life worth talking about again (like driving up to Bristol to surprise a friend after only getting back to the country again the day before…). It’s taught me especially so that certain ways in which I see myself is not necessarily the same way that other people see me, and that I shouldn’t alway listen to the opinion that I have of myself.

I sincerely hope to eventually go back to Cali. The people, the vibe of the place, everything – it all makes for an experience that has bettered me personally, and has given me new directions and new ideas and focus for life, and I don’t think I can be thankful enough for that to all the people who I have come to know out there. It’s been an amazing experience that has had a huge effect on me, and I doubt I would trade any of the time I had out there for anything. And that’s really saying something, I think!

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part The Sixth

Monday 7th December: One good thing about growing up in England is that when visiting other countries, you gain a little perspective in certain areas. Food, yes, there’s more out here than there is at home. Lifestyle, again, is something very different to what we would deem normal. Attitudes towards the weather… oh yes. You see, today, for the first time in my 6 weeks of being here (and for the first time in months and months for the people that actually reside in this state), it rained. It not only rained – it is still raining. Not only is it still raining, but it will continue to do so for a little while. But what surprised me most is how it rains - it’s not just a drizzle out here, it’s fucking Biblical!! Admittedly, this is apparently how it has been in England for a while now, with warnings of floods et al, but even with that in mind, it’s still coming down kinda hard. But even so, the way people react to this kind of weather, you’d think the fucking Apocalypse was just around the corner! But it really does live up to the old addage of “when it rains, it pours”, so this is all new to me – the concept of it actually raining in California! Anyway, no time to finish the entry last night, but we went to the house of a friend of Leigh and Marguerite’s (the people who run the company I’m interning for, so I’m their intern) and had a great meal and sung some songs, because they’re music-oriented people which was really great. We also listened to this CD of this guy called David Sedaris, who was talking about different Christmas stories but about the Dutch one in particular. Apparently, in Dutch Christmas stories, St. Nick arrives on a Steamboat and then travels by horses etc, but part of the story is that there are no elves (Elves, apparently, are just a silly concept to have at Christmas…). Instead, he is accompanied by what is only ever referred to as “six to eight black men, who are in no way slaves but in fact work for St. Nick purely voluntarily”. This made us all laugh SO hard, as it’s only EVER “six to eight black men” – never an exact head count! Anyway, you learn something new every day. Back at work today, doing more work on projects before I go (not long now. Bad times.) and quite possibly head into Santa Monica in the evening later on! Packing things into my schedule this week – should be fun!!

Tuesday 8th December: I have just come out of the tail end of what could have been the most spontaneous, emotional and generally all round baffling 4 days I’ve been through since being here. I’ve only just now gotten back to the house where I’m staying, and thus back to where my clothes are. This is mostly due to me spending the weekend at Leigh and Marguerite’s (as has already been explained), but then spontaneously spending the night round my friend Mindy’s last night. I should explain at this point that when I eventually DID decide to stay at her house, I had had NO chances to go back to my place. Which meant I was STILL wearing the clothes I set out in on Saturday at noon. ALL of the same clothes – all down to the socks. Anyway, I decided to stay as I thought it might be fun since I was being taught how to play a game called Beer Pong. Those that don’t know of it, should look it up. Those that do, will know that it is one of the BEST games around! Considering I don’t drink, it was very kind of the people there to fill my cups with water instead, and for someone to drink my “beer” for me, but the game basically consists of two teams of two players taking turns to land ping-pong balls in cups of beer at the other end of a table. You are also allowed to throw the other person off their game, so most things go – insults, random noises, various acts of nudity, you name it. Anyway, we play this game for a while, and I end up staying round the night. I wake up the next morning and realise that I don’t actually have much in the way of getting to work… After attempting the normally reliable (when I actually know where to go to get one, and which one to get) bus, I vote for the taxi option. 5 weeks of being here by myself, and this is the first time I’ve resorted to a taxi. I’d say that’s pretty good going so far! Tonight was a bit strange, things got cancelled because Jennifer suddenly got really really sick. I haven’t heard back, but hopefully she isn’t too bad. It did mean that there were no plans for this evening, so I saw Mindy again instead (No Beer Pong this time, which is probably a good thing!). Right now, however, I am shattered. I had VERY little sleep last night, I’ve been in the same clothes (minus resorting to a shirt today which WAS meant to be a present for myself at Christmas. Oh well…) for 4 whole days now, and I’m going to sleep and I don’t care what you say about it. G’night!

Wednesday 9th December: One more thing that I’m seriously going to miss about being out here is the feeling of being around like-minded, creative individuals that have stories to tell. After a regular day of interning (which, even though it was a “regular” day, it’s still great being there!) we go to a Birthday party type thing for the wife of the guy who runs the Facility where this company is, and is also in a band with the person I’m working for. I know it sounds very convoluted and round-about, but I have met them before and they’re very nice people. So we turn up and we start singing Christmas songs – accompanied by Leigh on bass, this dude on guitar and someone else on piano. By this point, we effectively have a full band backing us up in our little Christmas song singing, and it was all really cool. Then these guys had a jam session, and were just playing anything, and it was great to just sit and see these guys be creative with their music and just mesh so well that they knew exactly the time to do what thing. It was really very cool. Anyway, we then went for Italian, I ate FAR too much Gnocchi and Tiramisu and nearly slipped into a carb-coma. Spontaneity has also gotten the better of me again tonight, and I’ve ended up at a friends house once again. But at least I’m not in the office tomorrow, so there’s no worries of waking up and having no idea where to go this time! Possibly a bit of a relaxing day for tomorrow, with a chance of packing and baking in the late afternoon. Still, beats rain I suppose….

Friday 11th December: No post for yesterday as the only time I get to stop and take some time to write it, the internet is down and I have no access! BAH! Anyway, it meant that I could get a head start on packing anyway. It’s strange, the lady who I’ve rented this room from is insanely good at packing  – when I arrived I’d had to squeeze everything into my suitcase. Now I’ve actually gained items, and she helps me pack, and I end up with space left over!! HOW did that happen?? I mean, I know I went through some stuff out here, but surely not that much… Anyway, yesterday was great, I had such a relaxing day just enjoying being where I am. Mindy and I went out and I FINALLY got to try In And Out Burger, which is a burger places thats almost exclusively Californian, and everyone from around here raves about it. It’s dirt cheap ($2 for a cheeseburger? Yes please!) and it’s actually way nicer than the kind of crap you get at McDonalds or something. So we went and ate our burgers on Venice Beach, and watched the sea for a while. It’s funny, even though this is LA and there is always so much happening you can always find somewhere truly peaceful and someone really nice to share that experience with. It definitely made for a memorable last free day. Also, she did make me Christmas Cookies as well, which are amazing! There’s so many of them too, so I’m saving some for the flight home. Unfortunately, the only thing we could find to put them in was a Victoria’s Secret bag – it’s bright pink, so it’s not discreet either. So now, I get to walk around with a bright pink bag which once contained her bra’s but now contains her cookies – Epic Win! In the evening, I went over to Lora and Hans’ since they’ve been so nice in looking after me sometimes when I’m out here and it’s also Hans’ Birthday on Monday, so I had to take something for him before I leave! My second Dutch meal of the week and second making of Nutella Bread and Butter pudding later, and I am genuinely pretty beat. BUT, a-ha, whats this? More ironing to do? No no, my friend, not ironing – Steaming! This is brilliant, and I kind of want one now. A Steamer is like an iron, but you don’t damage the clothes or get a sheen on the fibres or anything. Knocks creases out of shirts like a bitch! I’m totally getting one if I can find one that can do jeans better as well… Anyway, staying at Leigh and Marguerite’s tonight, and I have bits of research now, so the final bit to this will hopefully be posted later!

* * *

Someone brought waffles to the office!! Second breakfast? Don’t mind if I do! Anyway, I’m back in Burbank now, after watching a film double-feature and having an awesome dinner and then one last hit of Pumpkin Pie before having to leave that theory to the Americans again – such a shame. Anyway, the contacts are drying out and I am tired, but I wanted to finish this off before doing any of that. I mostly wanted to put down how much I’m going to miss this place and the people I’ve met and have come to know very well and all of the stuff that is out here. This will probably get finished tomorrow, in between finishing packing and preparing and whatever, but hopefully everything will go smoothly. OR, it won’t, and I get to stay for a few more days…? 

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part the Fifth

Monday 30th November: Not to drive anyone reading this blog currently living in somewhat colder conditions than myself at the present time insane with jealousy or anything, but this weather right now in California is FRICKIN’ HOT! I mean, I was walking on the street today, and I’m burning up just wearing a t-shirt and khakis. This is bloody November, and the weather back home is terrible! I felt a tad guilty enjoying all this amazing weather when everyone I know is currently suffering through cold weather, constant rain and continuous flooding – but then I remembered that I’m NOT there, and could therefore afford to enjoy the climate whilst I’m still here! Second to last week now – where the hell the time goes, I don’t know – and I finished one of the big projects I got put to work on today, so there was some excitement about that. Went straight over to Lora and Hans’ tonight as they were cooking and said I should come over – so I did! Evening got on, and I realised there was ironing calling me back home. Ah, ironing – the spoiler of all fun. Anyway, half done now, other half tomorrow sometime when I have the effort to finish it.

Tuesday 1st December: Pretty productive day today – started a new project which I’ve now managed to get fairly far into the start of, which occupied most of the day. Saw some friends today, Kevin and Renee, and they took me out for a nice meal on Main Street Santa Monica. I think I may just have a new addition to a favourite foods list – Sweet Potato Fries. Oh, my Lord, were they nice! So, yes, it was really great seeing them and talking about all the things that we’ve been up to over the last few weeks. Kevin has a friend who has been asked to write the Pilot episode for a TV Series adaptation of a pretty popular Graphic Novel series, I don’t think I can really say what it is, because it’s still in talks about whether it will get done, so if word got out about it beforehand, it could be bad! BUT, if you know me in person, and you REALLY have to know, then I might just whisper it to you if I think you can keep a secret!! However, the rest of you will have to hang tight until he tells me more about it, sorry! Anyway, needless to say, I’m very excited about hearing it. Back now, though, and the ironing mountain has been conquered and my flag firmly placed on the top. Early sleep, perhaps, to help sleep off all the sweet potato.

Wednesday 2nd December: Spontaneity truly does make for a more interesting life, doesn’t it? A long haul at work today, not finishing till just after 7 because all these things needed to get done (but I got my stuff for the day done anyway, so I’m not worried about that!), I was meant to see a friend today, but half way through the day she backed out. THEN, later on, she changes her mind again and takes me up on my original suggestion of being spontaneous and we decide to meet up and go ice skating in the outside rink in Santa Monica. Great, I think to myself, that will be fun and something interesting to do together. But oh crap, I suddenly think, I haven’t been ice skating in years – I’ll be all over the place, spending more time polishing the ice with my ass than actually skating! As it turns out, we were both able to keep upright very well, if perhaps being slightly shaky. I only managed to fall ONCE, and it was mostly because I was getting clever. So, there you go – you try to be clever and most often you end up on your ass! Anyway, it was a very fun night, made all the more fun by the fact it wasn’t really planned! MUST sleep soon, though, even though I’m not in the office tomorrow and have to work out a plan for the day.

Thursday 3rd December: Some of the true magic of LA struck me hard and fast this evening, and it just goes to show what being in the right place at the right time can get you! Not working in the office today, I head down to Santa Monica at the start of the afternoon to go to an internet ca to do some work. After I finish, I take some time out to have a little meander by myself down the Santa Monica Pier and then back along 3rd Street for a bit. After catching both of my buses home, I get off the bus and start walking up the road that leads me to the street I’m staying on. Now, on this street on one corner is a frozen yoghurt place (sort of like Pinkberry’s, but not the same) and I see a bunch of people outside taking pictures. “Must be some kind of event” I think. But then I realise that this IS LA, after all, and therefore could actually be anyone. So I take a look inside and see Taylor Swift and think “Huh, wow, thats pretty cool”, but then I look at the dude standing next to her and it’s fucking Taylor Lautner!! “Holy SHIT!” I actually say out loud, “and here’s me without my camera!” Anyway, he walks out and I just say hi to him and shake his hand, he smiles, says thanks and walks away, frozen yoghurt in one hand and Taylor Swift in the other. Genuinely nice dude, that he stopped to shake hands when all these other people were around! So, this evening, I can officially say that I shook hands with TAYLOR LAUTNER. How cool? Very fucking cool, thanks!! That’s the magic of LA – you never know who you could see at any time!

Friday 4th December: One more week drawing to a close, and the sad realisation that I will soon have to leave everything that I’ve experienced out here is starting to set in. The good part of this is that I’m now using every spare moment I have to fill with doing adventurous things in the hope that I can keep this kind of attitude going and not let it fade at all. It’s a wonderful feeling and attitude to have – the one that, when most people would ask “Why?”, says “Why not?”. And although I’m gradually becoming increasingly sad at the idea that I will have to leave, I know that I will always have my friends at home there waiting to welcome me back. That’s another nice feeling to have – the one of knowing people, wherever you go, and always having someone there watching out for you. Anyway, the proper journal entry du jour is one that basically consists of me getting through the work I’m meant to be doing today, and awaiting further instructions due to the main dude being constantly busy as hell! But it could be worse – he could have no work at all, and then you’d be left questioning if this is the guy you should really be working for. As it happens, I have no such worries! Stopped at the Westside Pavillion on the way back, with the thought of maybe getting some jeans and a t-shirt. Seen some, but I might go back and get them tomorrow. Right now, some kind people I know down the road are renting a movie, and have said that I should come and watch, so this is it for now. May be updating from Burbank tomorrow, we’ll have to see!

Sunday 6th December: No entry for yesterday, clearly. Thats mostly due to me getting caught up in staying round the house of the people I’m working for, and getting into a movie evening fully accompanied by massive home-made burgers (which were awesome!) and my making a bread and butter pudding using Nutella (which, again, wasn’t too bad…), and going around Hollywood in the daytime. It’s good, because I did actually want to go down the Hollywood Strip and see all the stuff down there agin before I left, but this being my last full weekend I wanted to spend it doing things with people. As it happens, I managed to do the best of both!! Also, we went around the Kodak Centre, Graumann’s Theatre and the Hollywood and Highland Centre and into a couple of shops, including the HUGE Hot Topic they have there. In hindsight, I probably should have gone to that one before I did yesterday, as theres a huge amount of stuff in there that I hadn’t seen before! But oh well, it was still a good afternoon, and some more decent pictures got taken. This afternoon, we’re going for a little music session somewhere, so that should be very cool, and I’ll probably put another entry later on about that if there’s time.

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part The Fourth

Monday 23rd November: Another set of plans scuppered this Monday night, but I’m partly accepting the blame for this one as, with hindsight and after having it pointed out to me repeatedly, I probably could have done more to help avoid the situation. Basically, through a lack of communications, the cinema trip is not happening tonight but tomorrow instead, mostly due to the fact that even though I sent a Facebook post and a text, the other person was not aware that I had actually bought the tickets. SO, the valuable lesson of the day is this (and this, you can quote me on) – When organising any events, if  you have to assume anything at all, assume that the other person knows nothing! It’s just safer that way, in general. Anyway, it’s moved to tomorrow now. Speaking of which, I’m actually only in the office for two days this week, which will be a change of pace. We’re not in tomorrow because there’s a meeting being held out of the office, Thursday will actually be Thanksgiving (which I’m looking forward to, as I haven’t been a part of anything like that before) and we’re apparently not bothering going in on Friday, because it’s the day after Thanksgiving. SO, a majority of this week will be spent doing work from other places, which means I might have to start getting inventive with the places I go to work in order to keep it fresh and new! So, we’ll have to see how that goes, and fingers crossed that tomorrow turns out better than the mis-communication of tonight!

Wednesday 25th November: No post from yesterday, but that’s actually due to last night going off without a hitch. Well, mostly hitch-less… Jennifer and her boyfriend actually turned up 5 minutes into the film due the typical LA traffic, but oh well! This pretty much made us even since I received heat the night before for a lack of communication! Anyway, she enjoyed the film a lot, which is probably partly down to the fact that she hasn’t actually read New Moon or much of the other books, so most of it was new and fresh to her. Anyway, by the time we get out, it’s about 9 45 and I last ate at about 2 30. They apparently already ate before coming out, so I didn’t want to drag them to a restaurant just to watch me eat, and they’re both tired by this point anyway, so I let them go and refuse a lift home from Jennifer as she has to go the opposite direction, and it wouldn’t make sense to take me back to the house first. IN DOING SO, however, I miss the bus that takes  to the end of my street by just 2 minutes, the next one of which isn’t due for an hour and a freakin’ half! So, slightly annoyed, I catch two different busses instead, and somehow end up back at my street at the same time that first bus drives by… How that happened, I don’t know, because this was nearly an hour later! Anyway, it’s now 11 by this point, and I can no longer be bothered to cook a main meal. My resort? Peanut Butter on Toast. WIN! Anyway, fairly easy-going day today. It’s the day before Thanksgiving today, so people getting out early, eager to start what is effectively a 4 day weekend. Personally, I’m sort of looking forward to attempting to consume my bodyweight in turkey and a variety of complex carbohydrates! Anyway, time to close down for now, I think… Tomorrow could need a lot of energy…

Thursday 26th November: I think that perhaps Thanksgiving can be given the unofficial title of “Carb-Fest, USA” for the most part! Don’t get me wrong though – today I had some of the nicest home-made food I’ve had since being here! There were at least three different kinds of potatoes (including sweet potatoes), stuffing, all that sort of stuff… and a massive, 24lb turkey! SO MUCH meat… and that was before the three different kinds of pies they had for after, including my two separate servings of pumpkin pie. No wonder I feel so tired right now, it’s an entire day dedicated to meat, carbs and American Football! To be honest, I’m sort of wondering why we don’t start doing this EVERY Thursday! Anyway, it was great being there in Venice. Met loads of people there today, had some great conversations with people I’d only known for a couple of hours or so, ate an awesome meal and everyone was so happy to be there with all their friends and stuff, then wound down watching the new Star Trek film together… really, just a great kind of atmosphere for the whole day. I can definitely see why it’s such a great ideal for a Holiday! Still, I’ve been told tor points of Thanksgiving is the amount of left-overs you have – turkey sandwiches with stuffing, turkey curries, pumpkin pie every day for a week… it’s all about that! Anyway, the long and short of it was that I had a really great time, and it was a huge experience of American culture that was totally worth experiencing. Plans for the long weekend are now set in motion as well, so I’ve got plenty to do. Strange to think it’s only Thursday…

Friday 27th November: Had a pretty interesting day filled with exploring today. A friend/work-mate of my mum’s from out-of-town is staying for a while in LA and he said that we should meet up, so he brought his friend and her daughter to come and get me and we went out to eat at an Islands, which was great. But then we went to the Getty Centre just north of Westwood, and the Getty Centre is basically a HUGE art gallery on the top a hillside, and it over looks the entire area of Westwood and Santa Monica. Today was a really nice, clear day which meant that the view from outside the Getty Centre was REALLY great, and you could see for miles and miles into the distance! Some of the sights were amazing, but the garden they had there was just as nice, especially at the time around sunset when we were there. I’m not really a very art-y type person, and I never really claim to be ; I never tend to go to art galleries, or claim to know that much about art, but the Getty Centre was actually a really nice place to go to and just see all these really nice, artistic displays as well as the sights outside as well. Anyway, that’s mostly what today was about, and it was definitely something very different! Right now, there’s pecan pie downstairs that isn’t going to eat itself…

Saturday 28th November: Surprising how sometimes a lack of actual plans can bring with it just spontaneity and exploration, isn’t it? I did the thing today of going to the Westside Pavillion to finish off that shopping for friends (and even got myself a shirt from Hot Topic almost as a reward. Score!), then decided to hit Santa Monica for a bit, but wasn’t planning on staying for too long. I got to the Promenade at about 4 ish, just as the suns lowering in the distance, and decided to go look for this place Finn McCool’s, since I now know where it is and also worked out that a bus should go right past it. It does, I found it pretty easily, and nothing much was happening tonight, so I left it for another evening and went back to the Promenade (stopping on the way at a Vans store and finding a type of Vans shoe that deliberately looks like Moccasins – the best of both worlds, for work and play!). I eventually settle on eating at a massive sports bar called Yankee Doodles, only to discover once I’m there that a college football game is on later between UCLA (a.k.a The team we should be supporting) VS USC (a.k.a. University for Spoilt Children), who are local rivals. I get quite excited about this, as it’s really the first big sporting event in recent history in which I actually know what’s going on! Plus, there are fit girls going around promoting Jagermeister by giving away loads of free shit! Not that it needs promoting anyway – the stuff is the blood of Satan – but if it means I get free flashy things to wear round my neck, I’m pleased! So I stay and watch half of it before I have to go get a bus (getting quite into the game as I do and feeling more and more manly in the process!) but not before stopping at Pinkberry’s since it’s right in front of the bus stop. Again, I realise that this is exactly the sort of atmosphere I’d really like more of and to be a part of with friends as well, and how great it would be to do that sometime. Anyway, it’s late now, and I have to be getting on and start thinking about what to do with tomorrow as well!

Sunday 29th November: Very layed back, chilled out day today, as almost every Sunday rightly should be! Decided to hit Venice Beach today – the safe haven of anyone who has ever been called a hippie! Weekends are the best time to go, as theres a bigger market and more people are selling all their craft stuff, so it’s likely you’ll find a bit more interesting stuff there. Plus, it was a very clear day, so it was definitely beach weather, which made a change as I haven’t really done beach-like stuff since it’s been just me here. There’s also this huge skate park on Venice, where loads of people go to just hang out and skate all day. What impressed me most, though, was how many young kids were there that were just as good as the Adults. And by young kids, I don’t mean teenagers, I mean children as young as 6 years old!! And these kids were SO impressive with what they could do! Seeing things like that, and so close to a beach, you do realise that it’s not just an entirely different atmosphere in these parts, it’s and entirely different culture altogether – not just from English culture, but from places in America too. It’s sort of hard to explain unless you;ve experienced it, really. Anyway, so I sat in the sun for a bit and then wondered down through the market to see what people were selling today, before going back to Third Street for another short walk around there, before finally coming back to the house (stopping to get blank CD’s on the way) to eat and stick on a bunch of laundry. This laundry thing is something I’ll have to start getting on top of – once again, I technically ran out of socks on Thursday, and have had to do some clever “recycling”… Anyway, back in work again tomorrow, and for the first time in quite a while I’m actually excited about going into work! Strange, I know, but stranger things have happened… Time to make some Mix CD’s for people now, then start a brand new week!

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part The Third

Monday 16th November: Coming into the third week of my being here has been a bit of a rude awakening, in part. I’ve realised that even though I SHOULD be doing something different each night (which is hard for most people when they’re somewhere they know!), I’m sort of not. Every other night or so, perhaps, but still the days are limited and I have to remember that. So, more arrangements are being made and weekends and evenings will hopefully start shaping up. A new week at work brought new projects, so the Reality TV show will be the new thing that I’m working on for a while. Also, I saw on local news that people have been queuing and camping outside a cinema in Westwood (which isn’t TOO far from where I’m working…) for the Premiere of New Moon which takes place tonight since (ready?) Thursday last week!! What the Hell?! Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to the film, and I’m pretty sure I’ll really enjoy it and everything, but these people aren’t even SEEING the film! They just want to be there when the cast walk down the Red Carpet! This is when I realise just how much madness beautiful Hollywood celebrities can cause! Anyway, that’s about it for this Monday, if you’ve stuck with it to this week, congratulations! You’re officially a Stalker! Just kidding, thanks really!

Tuesday 17th November: One more uneventful evening, but it’s laundry night, so theres actually a reason for it this time! And it’s a pretty good thing too, since I was technically out of socks yesterday… Work was pretty good today, I’m doing some more creative work on this Reality TV show treatment, and the ideas have started flowing now that I’m up to the main episode breakdown of the show, so I’ve definitely got the work cut out for me! Anyway, we all got so into the work that we lost track of time and ended up finishing half an hour after we normally do! Managed to actually find a MySpace site yesterday that had a live streaming video of the Red Carpet premiere of New Moon, and suddenly realised that the thing people had to que for 3 days to witness in person, I was watching on a computer, plus had a better view, plus watched actual interviews with the cast, plus I was in a warm room, plus I could turn down the volume, and finally (and here’s the best bit) I could do it all in the comfort of my pyjamas! Who gets the better deal in the end? Anyway, my contacts are starting to dry out a bit – Chill out time, then workout, then sleep, thank you very much!

Wednesday 18th November: Bit of a last-minute change to the plans for today. I get woken up at 7:30 not only by my alarm going off, but also my phone as well. This firstly confused me to no end because I had no idea what was going off or why, but then the Boss-Man calls me and says that he might have something bordering on a cold, so neither of the people running the show would be going in today lest they infect everyone else that works at the Facility. Shame, but not in the sense that I get an extra hours sleep out of it. So, I go back to the coffee place from last week at Howard Hughes Centre, since it’s a short bus trip away, I know that I can get Wi-Fi for free, its quiet because it’s a bookshop and I can have decent coffee any time I like! This then ultimately frees me up in the evening as well since I don’t have to spend time travelling back either, so I walk the 5 minutes from there to the friends of the family whom I often mention (from now on we can call them Lora and Hans) and we eventually decide to go out and eat. So they take me to the restaurant they go to normally 2 times a week or so, a Mexican place called the Hacienda Del Rey. And it is some of the nicest Mexican food I’ve had! I’ve been there before, of course, but it makes me realise how un-educated we as British people are to proper, authentic Mexican food! So it was nice to have a meal out after living off of coffee for the day, which was unexpected. Big midnight screening event for New Moon tomorrow at the Howard Hughes, so I’m going along even if it’s just to refund my tickets (I draw the line at literally fighting people to get to good seats!) and see the pandemonium that will be happening! Also, I’ve started taking pictures a lot more frequently now, so I’ll eventually have a nice little collection of them going soon.

Friday 20th November: No post for yesterday, I realise that, but here’s the explanation. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how it came around, but here’s basically what happened: I went to take the tickets for New Moon back (because as I explained, I refuse to fight people for good seats, nor que for endless hours for the pleasure of doing so), and the line for mine ISN’T as bad as I thought by the time I arrive at about 9 30-ish. But still, by this point, the fact remains that I would not be seeing it with anyone else that I knew, and whether I would get a decent seat was still an uncertainty. So I leave it (for now) and take ONE of my tickets back for a refund, which they happily give me (I hang on to the second in case anything develops…). So, I go over to Borders because there are some things that I have to get for people as Christmas presents and such, and I start talking to people who are also in line, for the same one as me, that are surprised at my wanting to take my tickets back. “Come in line with us” they say, “We’re kind of close, and we don’t mind you going in with us.” Brilliant, I think to myself, these people are really nice and they hardly know me. So, I consider the possibility of seeing it with people I don’t really know instead. By this point, I’m debating whether it’s worth being “one of the mental crowd”, salivating rabidly for a movie they aren’t seeing for another couple of hours. Anyway, I leave the que to go and see the people I said I’d come by and say hi to (Lora and her friends) who are waiting in the bar, and already have their seats in THEIR auditorium. I say that I would stay and watch the film if I could stay and watch it with them, but there’s no likelihood of doing that since they’re in the 12:01 screen and I’m not – a screen that is completely sold out. Or so I’m currently under the impression of.

SO, by this point, it’s getting to the time where I either have to 1) leave immediately to catch my very last bs back to the house, 2) stay and talk longer and then get a taxi home or 3) stay and watch the film with people I hardly know. Someone does what I normally do and irresponsibly rationalizes it for me by saying “Well, it wouldnt matter if you were NEXT to us in the screen, because we wouldn’t be talking anyway. You should see the film and then meet us after, it’s the same thing.” This is true, but its the social activity of seeing the film WITH people I know I’m searching for. By this time, the screen I DO have a ticket for has gone in, I’ve lost my place and there won’t be any good seats. I take my final ticket back, all prepared to get a taxi home by this point. But WAIT – Lora’s friend accidentally printed off her ticket as well as Lora doing so, so by default they have an “extra” ticket that isn’t really a ticket. They’re meant to be scanning these, but they arent, they’re just tearing them. So I see if I can get into the same screen with that and just find any old seat that will be semi-near the people I know. This, evidently, is a total success. After scouring the screen for anywhere that will be free, I resort to sitting in a space in between seats at the back that I assume is meant to be for disabled chairs (how they’d get to that place, I don’t know, but still…), all too happy to sit on the floor (or, again, leave before it starts) for the duration of the 2 hour film. BUT WAIT – Lora and her friends have asked the people in front of them if one of their seats is taken, and they’d saved an extra one by accident!

SO, somehow I go from being in the mindset that I won’t be seeing New Moon until after the opening weekend by which time everyone will have seen it and be talking to me about it, to seeing it WITH the people I wanted to see it with, AT a midnight showing, IN a seat which is in the middle of the row at the back (one row and one seat over from the people I know!), AND (somehow) AFTER taking my tickets back! By the time the film starts, I can hardly believe the series of events that have just passed me by, and yet I’m sat there watching the film exactly the way I had intended to originally but was denied the possibility of doing so!

Anyway, the film was totally amazing, and I’ll probably post a review of it soon (though by the time I post THIS, it would already have been posted…), but there is a valuable lesson to be learned from this strange, convoluted series of events – You never know exactly what life will put in your lap, unless you open your arms and embrace giving it a try! Well, that, and that it can be beneficial to have clever friends that are willing to pull a fast one…

* * *

 Busy, busy, rushed, hectic but ultimately lively day today. Doing all that writing in the morning set me back a bit further than I thought, and I didn’t really make it out of the house until about 2. Aimed to go into Santa Monica Third Street today to meet the person that rented my family and I our house the first week we were here, because she wanted to see how I was settling in. As it turned out, I arrived there earlier than I believed she was getting there, so I ended up having time to do stuff as well. I THOUGHT that I might be able to get some work done if I could find somewhere with the Wi-Fi to do it, but as it happened my time got taken up talking to someone very friendly that worked in one of the shops. This ultimately led to me getting precisely zero work done for the day, so Sunday looks like the day I’ll be doing all of that instead! Anyway, feels like a much longer day today despite the time I slept till. Also, I found out some rather valuable information that I might have to remember in future – if you go to a populated restaurant in Santa Monica, and you talk, you WILL get mobbed by teenagers that just love your voice!! This, of course, made me laugh quite a bit, but they were actually very nice about it. One of this group is actually an actress named Danielle who has just finished acting in a Disney Channel movie Starstruck. So, naturally, I’ll be looking out for both that movie AND her being in it once I get home to a place where I know how to work the remote!! Ok, long day over with, time for rest now.

Saturday 21st November: No set plan for how the day would go today, but that actually turned out to be a benefit to me. I ended up making it to the Westside Pavillion again in enough time to do some leisurely shopping for friends there, and managed to knock off half of my Christmas buying list there (pretty much entirely at Hot Topic as well. I really do love Hot Topic…), so a lot of that is done and not having to be worried about again. The bad news is that its taken the amount of money I had on my card right down, so I’ll have to start making some calls to banks soon in order to make some transfers. That is, if I actually want to be able to afford to do things again! Anyway, mid-afternoon comes round, and I decide to hit the Third Street Promenade again. It’s almost a different atmosphere there on the weekends when compared to the weekdays. It’s more lively, more people are out, more people are performing, and the shops don’t shut until at least 9. People are there shopping until about 11 if they can!! So I spent some time there taking in everything, and then decided to eat at this cool little place called Cabo’s Cantina, which does some basic Mexican food, a lot of Margarita’s and several huge sports screens on all the walls! It also made me realise that it would be awesome if (since we’ve started discussing it now) my friends could eventually make it out here for a bit next year with me, because thats exactly the sort of place we’d probably go and eat. On more than one occasion as well, since it was pretty reasonably priced! So, one Cabo’s, one Pinkberries and one bus ride later, and I semi-screw up the timing for the buses, and end up getting back about 30 minutes after when I would have liked at about 10-ish. But then, this is America, and places are open ’til all sorts of hours on the weekends, so 10 isn’t actually really late to be getting a bus at all. Anyway, back at the house now, and its time to sort out all the stuff I got today into one, easy-to-pack package!

Sunday 22nd November: Not quite as interesting a day today, but thats because I felt the need to do some work today. Plus, Sunday is my usual day for Skype-ing the family to check in and let them know everything is going well. It’s also normally my day for going and getting things from the shop as well, so I had to stock up on milk and stuff (resorted to toast this morning through lack of milk for cereal. These truly are the hardest of times…). So, that mixed with a bunch of work has made for a semi-productive day today. There’s meant to be a Lakers game on tonight, which I would normally get to Lora and Hans’ for, but tonight I’ve got some things I’ve got to sort out before I can sleep, and I’m trying to get a little bit more work done as well. However, the concept of watching a film before going to sleep is starting to win me over… Anyway, one half of this trip already over with. It feels almost like no time at all, but I’ve been lucky in the sense that I’ve been able to get out and do things some of the time, so that I’ve made as much of it so far as I feel I can. But, after Thanksgiving, I’m probably going to try and get out for even more things to find! Some people I know will be more available after Thanksgiving as well, so it would be good to get out with them at least once as well. And Thanksgiving itself should be interesting, too. I’ve never been a part of this holiday before, but it is one time when people get together and just eat. And people generally make all sorts of different stuff to choose from for each course as well! Anyway, it will be interesting to see what its like. Shave time now, then film methinks…

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Contains Spoilers)

After a long, convoluted series of events that finally led to me getting a perfect seat in the same auditorium as my friends at a midnight screening in L.A., I actually managed to see The Twilight Saga: New Moon on its opening day. Of course, much to my expectations, the atmosphere was complete pandemonium – people were queuing for ages just to get good seats, most of the people there were wearing branded T-shirts of the film, some of their Mums were wearing branded T-shirts as well, inside the auditorium was packed out and people couldn’t stay still from the excitement, etc… It was complete madness, and part of me was a little shocked that I got mixed into it all. But  sort of couldn’t hear that part of me, for there was a bigger part of me that was saying “You’re getting to see this film at midnight with your friends in a different country, what the hell are you complaining about??”

All the seats erupted into screams of delight when Robert Pattinson appeared on the screen… In a trailer for his next film Remember Me. “Good God” I thought “This is just the bloody previews!!” That, fair people, is exactly the sort of madness that The Twilight Saga stirs up in some people. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why people get so into it, as the subject matter speaks to certain people in the same way that Harry Potter does and people go just as mad for that as well. But then, a majority of the people there were also there to see sexy vampires and buff werewolves, so you take the good with the bad, I suppose. Me? I was there because I got into the storyline of the book and because I knew there were going to be some awesome Werewolf scenes as well!

Anyway, once the film actually started, you were able to tell immediately that it was not the same director as before (Catherine Hardwick had other projects to work on and Chris Weitz took the helm for New Moon), as it opens with the shots of what’s in the book as the prologue – of Bella Swan running through the town square in Italy trying desperately to get to the clock tower. This wasn’t done in Twilight, which made sense as it was just the start of the whole story anyway, but it still meant you’re able to distinguish the different styles of direction straight away. This is something I personally thought would benefit the film, as you’re not expecting it to be anything like the first one that way. Which it completely isn’t!

As almost the entire population will already know by now, the storyline to New Moon takes what was set up in Twilight (i.e. the relationship between Bella Swan and her Vampire love Edward Cullen) and completely rips it to pieces after one of the Cullens nearly kills her after she cuts herself. After all the Cullen’s then disappear from town, she is left alone and faces life without her true love, which consequently leaves her with her best friend Jacob Black, who is part of a tribe of Native American’s (the Quileute Tribe), who turn out to be Werewolves, which are the only other thing in the world that can kill Vampires… understand? Good.

The scene that everyone was hoping, nay praying, that they got perfectly spot on is the scene where Edward has to tell Bella that him and his family are leaving, and that they can’t be together anymore. This scene, I have to admit, they got perfect. A majority of it follows exactly how it happens in the book, down to the tone of voice each of them uses, but it’s also how the scene first starts out that really sets everything up. Now, we’ve all been there – on the receiving end of a break up line, but we all know how the conversation has to start. So when Edward utters in a low tone “Let’s go take a walk”, everyone is automatically in the mindset for what is about to happen. What starts as a gentle opening of “It’s safer for you if I’m not around you”, turns into a full on “You’re not good for me. I don’t want you to come with me”. And as the scene progresses, you do get the sense that it is becoming more and more devastating for these characters. Tears and sniffles are exchanged throughout the cinema at this point, as one second Edward kisses Bella goodbye, and the next he has disappeared from sight, supposedly never to be seen again. The devastation that hits Bella after this is very well crafted, as she then slips into a nearly comatose state for the months that then follow, drifting emptily through life just as is described in the book.

I could go on, with a scene-by-scene breakdown, but I’m just going to stick to the main bits! The thing with New Moon is that it is very much Jacob Black’s story, and how he discovers that it is his birthright to be part of the Quileute Wolf Pack. Another thing that was established early on after the first teaser trailer that the producers definitely HAD got right was the Wolf effects in the film – The Quileutes aren’t the traditional Werewolves so much as people who can spontaneously erupt into giant wolves, the size of stallions. This, when described in the book, is very cool. This, when seeing on the screen, is freakin’ bad-ass!

The first time you get a glimpse of one of them (the Alpha of the pack, when Bella is crushed by Edward leaving and is stranded in the forest) it IS just a glimpse – but its more than enough to keep people on tenterhooks to see more! Which means the first time you ACTUALLY see the Alpha Wolf, closely followed by the rest of the pack, you ARE on the edge of your seat and I personally was completely gob-smacked at how incredible and formidable they have made the Werewolves look on the screen!

The transformation of Jacob Black from the skinny best friend, to the beefed-up super-jock with a chip on his shoulder is gradually seen over the first half of the film as well. Like I said, this is very much Jacob’s story, and Taylor Lautner has clearly put a lot of work into his look and his acting to get this role perfected. Throughout the rest of the film, even though Bella’s reckless stunts on a motorcycle are her only means of seeing visions of her lost love, by the time she knows all about the Quileutes you are wanting her to pick Jacob over Edward, because of his dedication to her and his promise of constant protection from any outside dangers (namely the vengeance-seeking Victoria, whose mate got killed in the first film).

The good thing about adapting a book into a film, is that can be perspective-less. This opens up a variety of new possibilities for direction. Because the book is only told from Bella’s perspective, we only know and see what SHE knows and sees in the book. In New Moon, there is an entire scene where Jacob and the rest of the Wolf Pack hunt down, fight and chase Victoria through the woods of Forks. This was definitely NOT in the book, but the fact that they managed to work in more Werewolf scenes into the film than there is in the book was an unexpected surprise that made all the difference. Clearly, this is because they spent so long developing the technology to get the Wolf effects just right, that they wanted to make it worthwhile and not just have a couple of scenes with them in, but instead give them more screen time than is suggested in the book, because clearly this is what people have really come to see. And its 100% worth it! The Werewolf scenes in New Moon are phenomenal, and you find yourself damn near cheering them on as they’re chasing Victoria.

The only thing that I will say is that there is quite a fair amount of slow-motion during these sorts of scenes, and whilst it is mainly used to show (ironically) the speed with which these creatures can move, it is only borderline distracting when you want to have a bit more action going.

The film then develops into a race-against-time to stop Edward from provoking the Volturi, who basically are the Vampire Royalty that reside in Italy. They lay down the law and destroy anyone who doesn’t obey. So when Edward gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks that Bella has somehow killed herself, he decides to piss off the Volturi by showing people he’s a Vampire on the most crowded day of the year at 12 when the sun is at its highest. This means that Bella has to stop him from doing something he might then regret, which then leads to them all going to the chamber of the Volturi. Dakota Fanning plays the creepy, spooky young Volturi member Jane, who many were opposed to when it was announced, but she actually plays her part with the right kind of malice that her character requires. Micheal Sheen also plays his part of Head Volturi member Aro with the right kind of finesse mixed with sinister to get the character just right.

Anyway, the scenes with the Volturi are the set up for how the story will continue after New Moon and into Eclipse next year, and even though there is no such scene in the book, a massive Vampire fight breaks out in the middle of the Volturi’s chamber. Well, of course it had to, right? The Werewolves have had their fight scenes, now it’s time for some Vampires to have a cool little skirmish with some awesome effects! I got the feeling that this was sort of thrown in to not make either side look more dangerous than the other, but it was still fun to watch as these guys smack each other about the room and through concrete and stuff. Mixing in the violence into the romance, as it were.

By the time the film comes to a close, you are left at the scene where Jacob reminds Edward of the treaty the Quileutes hold with the Cullens, and what could happen to Bella should the treaty be broken. This is a tense enough moment in the book. So, when it suddenly breaks out into an unexpected scrap between Edward and Wolf-Jacob in the film, the audience are taken a-back as the rivalry that will drive the next film is formed, and people are left debating who could take who in a fight to the death! The film then comes to a slightly unforseen (even though people know this is the end of the film) when Edward makes his proposal for Bella’s transformation. Literally. This bit of dialogue was not meant to be introduced until the start of the next book, but the fact that they have ended the film on the words “Marry me, Bella” means that people will be begging for the release date of the next one to come as soon as possible. Clever, Chris Weitz, clever.

Anyway, overall, the film is awesome. It’s exactly what I expected it would be – the Werewolves are bad-ass, the script is very close to the book, minus a few scenes that help the story along everything that needs to be in there was there, and the high-running emotions and tensions are all felt throughout. So, it’s definitely everything that it needed to be, and possibly a bit more too. Also, if you’re weren’t already on the side of Team Jacob before seeing this film, by the end you’ll be cheering on the Wolves as loudly as everyone else!!

The Continuing Adventures of Myself – Part The Second

Monday 9th November: Attempts to make further plans for going out scuppered once again by my friends classes going on for two hours longer into the evening than expected, and for tomorrow as well. I’m starting to think that perhaps go-to, last-minute contingency plans might not be such a bad idea… But for now, there’s always cooking a meal and the big pile of ironing to sort me out for the evening. It’s no night out in the city, but fuck it, it’s got to be done sometime!! Productive day today, even if it was just intern-type research work. Which is essentially part of what I’m here to do, so I should really expect that! Possibility of some American TV for the evening, perhaps highlights of the Lakers game last night is on… Or House, I’m happy with either…

Tuesday 10th November: A mixture of curiosity, impatience and a wanting to explore got the better of me this evening, so I went to go look around the Howard Hughes Centre by myself for a couple of hours after getting back. The place itself is quite simple – mostly restaurants and a massive cinema. But there is also a Borders there with a coffee shop and free wi-fi, so until I can find a nice day to go and do work on Venice Beach when the weather will be right, that will be my “from home” workspot in future! Also, a little piece of advice for those that might otherwise be unaware: Restaurants here display their cleanliness rating in the windows, so if you see anywhere that doesn’t have one showing, or one less than a B, don’t bother. BUT, what I learned tonight was this – though a place may have been graded as an A, if it looks like it sells rubbish food then its likely that they will still serve you rubbish food, just in an exceptionally clean environment. So, choose wisely where you eat! Also managed to buy tickets to a midnight screening of New Moon, but it’s unallocated seating, so the guy said if it turns out that loads of fans in Edward Cullen T-shirts que for hours to get the good seats, I can return my tickets and go somewhere with better seating options! As for work, today was the polishing stage of the research, so new working projects are soon to come. Exciting stuff from adventurous days. Music sampling time now, closely followed by sleep time.

Wednesday 11th November: Basic day today, since my thirst for adventure was thoroughly quenched yesterday. Working on some new projects at work, so I’ve got plenty of reading, writing and research to be getting on with all of a sudden. But thats fine, because we’re not going in tomorrow, so I can set myself up somewhere decent and cozy outside of the house to work from instead. Hummus and pita for dinner? Why not? Minimum preparation, maximum hunger satisfaction, and its NOT a rubbish chicken bowl from a rubbish fast food restaurant with bleachy-clean floors! Happy times!! I don’t ask for much really… Anyway, simple night tonight, maybe some American TV if I can work out how their cable system works and don’t get annoyed by the adverts!

Thursday 12th November: I’m currently sat in a Borders coffee shop, with a massive blueberry scone and a cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee (I know I’m in California – the Company is called “Seattle’s Best”, just to avoid confusion!), and working hard at my research. Today was meant to be a day when it rained, or was at least clouded over for the day. And they say that when it rains in California, it freaking POURS, so that worried me a bit. However, the operative word here is “meant” – I get outside, and there are a few light clouds in the sky, perhaps blocking the sun every so often, but not to a horrendous degree. Bright? Sunny? Still rather warm? Basically the English equivalent of a lovely spring day? If this is what a “rainy day” is like in California, that’s something I could quite happily deal with!! Ok, work time now, perhaps time for some burgers later at this good-looking place I saw on my way in. It has an “A” in the window, but lets keep our fingers crossed that it also reflects the food quality this time!! One month left already? Craziness…

Friday 13th November: No burgers last night, which totalled up to one very hungry Drew, but it’s ok because it got re-arranged to tonight, so either way I end up getting burgers! Didn’t feel like TOO much work got done today, but that’s also because a lot of the work today involved reading in preparation for working on Reality TV show treatments, and a lot more thought and preparation goes into writing the pitch, one-sheet and treatment for a Reality show than you’d think!! So, yes, I’m staying late at the office, which is something I’d never thought I’d say, but there you go. Mind you, it’s only really by comparison – the people I’m working with left an hour early to start their weekend, so I decided that I should stay and do a little more stuff before leaving and going for burgers… mmm… On another note, someone bought me a box of cereal from a health food store which is the equivalent of Health Food Lucky Charms. “Healthy” Lucky Charms SHOULD be an oxymoron, but the proof is in the testing of them, so as you wait with baited breath to hear the results, I shall be happily enjoying the experience!

Saturday 14th November: The so-called “Healthy” Option Lucky Charms turned out to be not too bad at all – not too far off from the original, but you can tell they’re not the same. Less marshmallows, and they’re not bright amusing colours either, which sometimes is part of the experience. But for the first-thing-in-the-morning sugar boost in your cereal, it definitely does the job, and if it’s organic foods then I’m counting that as a bonus!! Mission Successful then! Last night was great fun as well – my friend Jennifer and I went to Islands (which is the place that makes the great burgers) and had a really fun night out. I THINK I’m bringing her round to the idea of visiting England eventually, but it may take a bit more coaxing than one conversation! I introduced her to The Vitamin String Quartet as well, which she instantly liked, and I found that there are all these different things that we both like that I had no idea of before. It’s almost a shame I can’t find someone just like her at home, really!! Haha! But the night was very cool, and I look forward to another soon. Not the most productive of days today, though - I rode the public transport not too far up to the Westide Pavillion, a huge mall with a cinema and stuff alongside it as well. I love the place because there’s a Hot Topic store there, and that’s one of my favourite places to shop when I’m in the country! Plus, I can buy for a bunch of my friends there as well. So, although I haven’t really done too much that was productive today, I have got a good idea of a bunch of things I can get for people for Christmas, so I guess its not entirely bad. The people I’m staying with are having a dinner with friends and then taking all of them plus me to this Improvisation Comedy thing in Hollywood, so it should be interesting to see what that’s like and a good way to spend a Saturday night too. Trying to set up activities for tomorrow as well, so we’ll see what happens there as well. Mustn’t forget to buy food either, lest I starve this week…

Sunday 15th November: With my food for the rest of the week bought (mainly consisting of a SINGLE potato, pasta, sauce, deli-counter tuna salad and Oreos), I decided to go out and enjoy the brightness of the day today. Take a bus to Santa Monica? Enjoy the Third Street perhaps? No. I get distracted by a call from home and run out of time for any of that! Oh, well, sometime soon I’m sure. Decided instead to have an attempt at an evening of manliness, so I go round to the house of some friends of the family, where inside there lies a big screen TV with Hi-Def sports. So we watch the New England Patriots play the Indianapolis Colts (that’s American Football, for those who didn’t know. Like me.) and then watch the last bit of the L.A. Lakers get stomped by the Houston Rockets (that’s Basketball. If you didn’t know that, then that’s slightly more shameful.) which made for quite an entertaining evening. I feel all the manlier for it as well! The improv comedy last night was kind of fun – not the most amazing comedy in the world, but it was impressive how they take a single starting point and play off of each other for a full 40 minutes or so. so it was definitely fun to watch them create stuff out of nothing. Anyway, another week done with, another work week starts, so it’s back to the good stuff tomorrow! Also – the Premiere of New Moon is held somewhere in Los Angeles tomorrow, and I’ve heard it may not be too far away. So, with enough research and the right bus, I may be able to go past and see what it’s like…

LISTED Film Previews – November/December ‘09

Yes, it would appear that there really is no rest for the wicked, as although I’m on the other side of the planet I’m still posting up my film previews that I write monthly for Listed Magazine. Admittedly, I wrote all of these the week before I actually came out here, but I’m still taking the time to post them up so you can get your grubby great eyelids around them! Enjoy:

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (12A) (Dir. Chris Weitz)

Twi-hards, rejoice! After the success of the first film, the eagerly anticipated second instalment in the Twilight series is soon to hit cinemas! After the vampire attack that nearly claimed her life in the first film, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her Vampire love Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) settle into their new life together. But after an incident at Bella’s Birthday sheds her blood, the Cullen’s decide it’s better for Bella’s safety if they leave, never to return. Distraught and heartbroken, Bella finds comfort in her (now super beefy) best friend Jacob Black (Taylor Launter). But in doing so, Bella finds out that the Cullen’s aren’t the only family in Forks with a secret… Fans of the series will not be disappointed, as they can expect bigger effects, awesome werewolf fights, a loyal script adaption, and a lot more bite than the first film! Released 20^th November

BUNNY AND THE BULL (15) (Dir. Paul King)

Quirky, weird and completely bizarre, this comedy comes straight from the writer of The Mighty Boosh. A young shut in called Stephen takes an imaginary road trip within the confines of his own apartment; based around mementoes for an actual trek he took around Europe years ago with his friend Bunny, whose sole intention on their trip was to fight a bull. Also starring Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt of Mighty Boosh fame, this looks like it might well be the unsung hero of the comedy films this year! Released 27^th November

AVATAR (12A) (Dir. James Cameron)

James Cameron’s status as a director has always been one associated with breaking new ground in the film effects business, and Avatar is no exception! Visually epic and masterfully imagined, Avatar sees Cameron creating wonderful, in-depth landscapes of entire new worlds, all of which have been created with the most cutting edge technology possible! In the future, Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic war veteran sent to the jungle planet Pandora inhabited by native blue humanoids called the Na’Vi. To blend in and perform his mission, Jake must undergo a procedure which will allow him to control a Na’Vi “avatar” and allow him to walk again. This could possibly be the most visually breathtaking film you will see all year, so don’t miss it! Released 18^th December

SHERLOCK HOLMES (12A) (Dir. Guy Ritchie)

Bare-knuckle fist fights? Jumping away from explosions? Saucy situations in the bedroom? This is definitely NOT the Sherlock Holmes which we have previously seen. But then, this is Guy Ritchie taking a perfectly well known story and doing completely his own thing with it, the result being this more amped-up film of the legendary detective. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Holmes (before next summer’s Iron Man 2), and Jude Law co-stars as his companion Watson, which makes for a good acting team, but all the “mass-appeal action” might be a bit of a letdown. Only time will tell if this will actually be worth watching, or a total waste of time and effort. Released 26^th December

As Published in Listed Magazine issue 23 and on www.listedmagazine.com