“The most powerful, eloquent moments on screen require no verbal description to create them, no dialogue to act them. They are image, pure and silent.” - Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee.
It may sound odd coming from a book teaching you to write but it’s true. Show not tell. The Piano comes to mind.
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October.
The changing leaves.
Finding the perfect snood.
Expired film.
Drinking wine with Hemi and Thom.
Carving my mini pumpkin.
Exploring my neighbourhood. (Discovering Vietnamese food!)
Cask ales and candlelight.
Bike rides on crisp mornings.
I have always wondered why some people are utterly in love with Autumn but it all makes sense in a colder climate.
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Earlier in this week I posted about my new Bobbin bike and their wonderful illustrations.
And today I have something even better to share with you! It’s the new Bobbin Bicycles film, directed by the talented Miles Langley. I was so excited when Miles emailed me to give me a sneak peek – it’s stunning. I hope you enjoy it:
Bobbin Bicycles – Style Film from Miles Langley on Vimeo.
For the first time Bobbin Bicycles are now available to buy from a global network of dealers. Visit Bobbin Bicycles to see where you can pick yours up from.
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Holy moly, I am so looking forward to this. The Rum Diary was one of Book Club For Drunk’s best reads ever - daiquiris ahoy. I really recommend you read the book first if you haven’t already. It was (supposedly) written when Hunter S. Thompson was only 22!
The typography is rather smashing too, don’t you think?
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Another documentary I have seen and enjoyed recently is The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters. It’s a 2007 American film that follows middle school science teacher Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion and hot sauce kind Billy Mitchell. Even if you don’t have an interest in gaming, you’ll love this battle of the nerds.
It’s a classic tale of good vs. evil, with lots of laughs and plot twists. It leaves you hanging for more, and pondering whether you could be the next world champion in something… If only you put your life into it.
Want to see it? Watch part 1 on YouTube.
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Last week I stayed at home on a Saturday night. I put my best leopard print PJs on, plumped my pillows and ordered a takeaway. Then, far from the sophistication of writing (my novel) and listening to Smog (so refined), I watched THIS:
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Addictive, unashamedly host and funny, it’s the best documentary series I’ve seen in a while. And of course – those dresses!
I didn’t know anything about Irish travellers before, and this was a great insight into a culture completely different from mine. Someone has put most of the episodes screened thus far on Youtube , so you too can sit back, relax, and enjoy the mayhem of a gypsy wedding in their glory. If you have seen it, what did you think?
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Ponyo loves Sasuke! And I love Ponyo. Once again too slow to catch it in the cinema, I finally was able to sit down and watch Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film on DVD. It’s a treat – and my recommendation if you’re looking for something to watch this weekend. The basic plot is that Ponyo is a goldfish princess who wishes to become human after she falls in love. My very favourite part of the movie is when Ponyo licks the blood from Sasuke’s cut:
Fun fact – Ponyo’s name is an onomatopoeia, based on Miyazaki’s idea of what a “soft, squishy softness” sounds like when touched.
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Exit Through The Gift Shop is an excellent film – full of charm, wit and talent. I definitely recommend you go see it. Be warned however, it may ruin the romantic fantasies you harbour of becoming a) a street artist, or b) a documentary maker, and possibly even c) a French vintage store owner.
From my trip to New York last year:
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“I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.”
Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is finally going to grace cinema screens world wide. The Norwegian Wood film (IMDB) is directed by Anh Hung Tran, stars Babel’s Rinko Kiuchi as Naoko and Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Wanatabe. Can’t lie, nor breathe, I am super excited for this. Murakami is my favourite author (yes, ever), and NW one of my favourite books.
Short trailer huh? It’s such a tease but from such a tiny glimpse, and the film stills, I think justice will be done.
Alongside the eponymous Beatles song (a licensing coup!), the soundtrack will also feature original music written by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood based on a composition called “Dogwood” which he recently wrote for the BBC Concert Orchestra.
I think the use of the word SWOON is totally legitimate on this occasion.
Visit the official movie site: norway-mori.com
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I have a total soft spot for ridiculous 80′s movies, especially if they are set in THE FUTURE. In this case, the future is a post-apocalyptic year 2017 – Las Vegas is smothered by sand and outlaw is a popular career choice.
Cherry 2000 (dir. Steve De Jarnatt, 1988) is so bad it’s incredible. By the looks of it, we’ll be able to take robot wives, enjoy Kartell kitchens and have Larry Fishburne serve as our Glu Glu lawyer.
I love the outfits and interiors of the movie. Camp-tastic. If you’re ever flicking through the outer reaches of your cable subscription and you see this movie playing, stop. It’s well worth watching for the laughs, and a sneak peek at the guns we’ll all be toting in 7 years…
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Woo, volcanos! The recent volcano activity in Iceland* (Eyjafjallajokull?!) and the trip my parents just made to Tanna Island in Vanuatu (where they went to scope out Mt.Yasur) has captured my imagination. Here’s just a few of the VOLCANO inspired videos I’ve been watching:
Lava porn from National Geographic
Nat Geo also shows you an Icelandic volcano that reared its head in 2004:
Dante’s Peak This film made me never want to swin in natural hotsprings again. See also: the Volcano trailer.
Damien Rice sings the Volcano
The top 5 volcanic webcams. Beats puppies?
*Ooh look – someone has already made a tee…
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New York has invaded by 8-bit video game creatures. Shot in New York City (oh how I aprreciate everything so much more after visiting), ‘Pixels’ was directed by Patrick Jean. Bleep-bleep’n awesome.
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On Friday night I went to the cinema at the Matakana village. We were early, so we visited The Vintry – a wine bar that exclusively sells local wine. Oh, and they sell bottles of apple cider made ‘just up the road’. Yum!
Eventually it was time to enter the Paradiso theater, glasses and strawberry ice-creams in hand. Your eyes tell you no lies; there are over 1000 tangerine and orange blooms covering the ceiling. Cheeky tuis and fantails scale the walls, with a few hardy fellows peering out from the floral sky.
It’s pretty idyllic, with big lazy boy seats at the front and super wide seats for everyone else. The other two theaters are just as gorgeous.
Sticking with our ‘keep it close’ theme, we saw a New Zealand flick. Boy is written, directed and stars Taika Waititi:
It’s hilarious yet rather poignant movie, punctuated with sweet hand-drawn animations. I spent a lot of my childhood at very similar coastal settlement, in the same era. The garage could be my grandmothers, the rituals ring true and yeah, I even slept under the same orange candlewick bedspread. Boy is definitely a film to see if you can.
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This made me giggle! As a teenager I was obsessed with short films, and eventually attended film school for a year. Of course, any good filmmaker needs a larger production company moniker, and mine was ‘Missing Limb Productions’. It was named for my pet axolotl Dragon, who had his left leg scarfed by his tank mate CinCin. (Aw, I miss making movies and my slimy little friends.)
Anyway; it’s based on a Craiglist missed connection, it’s succinct, and beautifully shot. Is This Your Limb?
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Hello! My name is Amber Parkin. I'm a New Zealander living in London. I'm a writer obsessed with fondue, chesterfield sofas, vintage dresses, foxes, and 35mm.
Here I like to talk about fashion, design, food, travel, writing & books, and culture. Everything else (including my photography) goes into my digital notebook.
If you'd like to email me the address is amber@codeforsomething.com
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