Film

Currently Reading

by Amber on January 7, 2012 in Writing & Books

Story by Robert McKee

“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 in Photos

by Amber on November 8, 2011 in Photographic Evidence

autumn

Neighbourhood

kitchen window

brick lane
me & jim
poles apart in shoreditch
London Fields
The Sun

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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Bobbin Bicycles In Motion

by Amber on October 6, 2011 in Design

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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The King Of Kong

by Amber on June 22, 2011 in Art & Photography

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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Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

by Amber on June 18, 2011 in Art & Photography

Twitter quote

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!

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

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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Viewfinder: Ponyo

by Amber on November 19, 2010 in Art & Photography

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

by Amber on September 15, 2010 in Art & Photography

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:

the madonnas

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Norwegian Wood | The Film

by Amber on July 22, 2010 in Notebook,Writing & Books

“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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Viewfinder: Cherry 2000

by Amber on May 8, 2010 in Notebook

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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Viewfinder: Red Hot Lava

by Amber on April 16, 2010 in Notebook

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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Pixel Fix

by Amber on April 14, 2010 in Notebook

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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A trip to cinema

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!

The Vintry

Vino

The Vintry

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.

Paradiso Cinema

This is paradise
flowers

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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Viewfinder: Is This Your Limb?

by Amber on March 26, 2010 in Notebook

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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