Super sweet short

 butterfly by Revaz Gabridze

High Definition VS Film ?

I personally would choose Film any day...I find the HD aesthetic just does not suit a lot of directors...The Skin I Live in (2011) by Pedro Almadovar would have been so much better on some crackly film. HD makes things look a bit too glossy for my liking.
I don't know why but I have always preferred vintage cars to new ones, antique furniture to modern and film photography to digital photography.


The music video below and an the old film Slogan (1969)  reminded me of how great the colours looked on film in the 60's/70's.

I really enjoyed watching Slogan (1969)...it's no masterpiece but it catches the era in which it was made very well and has also turned into a cult film.
It stars Jane Birkin and the famous singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg...I would recommend reading this interesting article first if your not familiar with the two :    http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/11/gainsbourg200711

Where are all the strong and interesting women ?

After doing some basic research I found this link from MUBI which lists films that supposedly have strong and interesting female characters.I think the term is misinterpreted these days as most "strong" women in cinema are shown to be as: Femme Fatale's, evil bosses, cold, ruthless or just plain crazy... It would be nice to see more female characters like Jenny Mellor in An Education that make mistakes and face obstacles, but overcome them through inner strength because that's what strong people do.

Here is the List :

http://mubi.com/lists/films-with-strong-interesting-female-lead

Paradise in the City... A little music video I made

LCD Soundsystem amazing video

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out"

Alfred Hitchcock with his children

My favourite music videos right now! -Watch full screen and in HD

When your desktop reflects your life...

I have been busy writing away to hand in my final papers for the academic year! I have actually been using two browsers due to the overwhelming amount amount of websites I have open.I doubt this is the most exciting thing you've read all day, but hey thats life!

Johnny Depp

I was walking by Bond Street and saw Johnny Depp talking on the phone and walking by himself. He was wearing his silver rings and had a tan because he has been filming in the carribean recently. I really could not believe that my life long dream out of 3 had come true. He crossed the road and I did not really know what to do. Anyway, he has a premiere on thursday so he is around London and it was not just a mirage.

Absinthe and the Moulin Rouge

Midnight Lovers by Unknown

An Absinthe drinker by Pablo Picasso

Just came across an artical on the BBC website about france legelizing Absinthe after being banned for about a 100 years! It's quite funny because I'm about to watch Moulin Rouge for an essay I have to write. 

Absinthe's heyday was in the mid-to-late 1800s.Artists would hang out in the Parisian cafes to escape the chill of their studios, and a whole social scene developed around the drink, which was nicknamed la fee verte, meaning the green fairy.The green, anise-flavoured spirit is associated with many of the country's most famous and esteemed artists and writers - like Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec and Paul Verlaine - but it was banned in France in 1915 for its alleged harmful effect.well not anymore! 

If I could go back in time, I would have live in Paris in the 18th century in a little studio with a little balcony drinking my absinthe and hanging out with the Artists. My great grandad was around in paris at that time I wonder what he was up to.

Moulin Rouge by Baz Lurhmann  is set in this era and Absinthe drinking is featured in the film. My essay will be about how the film jumps through various genres and has modern,post-modern  and classical hollywood influences. You gotta love it!! Oneeeee dayyyy I'lll flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy awaaaaaaay...

When you get angry...

Listen to Mondkopf!!
He is a Dj/Producer I came across in paris a few years ago on my birthday. I really really liked his set and then fell in love with his music. I think he is a really talented musician who is much better than most "DJ'S" who spin the decks for us these days. Go for it take the anger out! I know i will :)

Alice-photos by me

Virgin Film Competition

Helloooooooo Film-makers! Virgin media are hosting their annual competition. The hand in deadline is on 12pm , 7th of July. For further info- GO TO THEIR SITE. The prizes are big!

I love this one! :)

Wim Wenders London

I've been trying to find a cinema nearby that will be showin Pina by Wim Wenders, I have only found the Curzon Mayfair cinema.

I'm sure you will agree that the trailer looks astonishing and along with that, the film is in 3-D! I did not know that Wenders was also a photographer and a really good one in fact.With the release of his film , the Haunch of Venison Gallery in London are holding a free exhibiton of his photographs. That sounds far more interesting than the Royal Wedding! booo!

And they lived happily ever after....

I was "Born In Georgia" Part -2

The most famous film-maker born in Georgia, was Sergei Parajanov. Mikhael vartov wrote in 1969 that "...Besides the film language suggested by Griffith and Eisenstein, the world cinema has not discovered anything revolutionarily new until The Color of Pomegranates ...". If you know anything about cinema, you know that was one big statement to make. But let me show you a bit of this film and you can judge for yourself...

I was "Born In Georgia"

So you are thinking Georgia, I don't know much about Georgia...
Georgia is a small country that Boarders Turkey and Russia. It was also part of the Soviet Union and produced many films at that time.  We have the youngest president: Mikheil Saakashvili and We have delicious food which you can try at any one of these:
http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:1910/little-georgia
Anyway, this tiny country is involved in a war or revolution of some sort most of the time, making it impossible for the country to grow properly. Along with the country, the people don't grow.
I for one was present at the war which took place in 2008 and it was a pretty traumatising experience to be honest.
Born in Georgia (2010) by Tamar Shavgulidze is debut feature. The story covers the period preceding the 2008 war, 4 friends try to preserve their friendship and humanity by creating a micro-world in which they live inside of Georgia.
The film premieres on the 28th of April  in Tbilisi and I have high hopes for it. It's about time someone made a film in vivid colours that explores humans on a deeper level and not just the stereotypical dreary documentary-style films that have been brought forward to us in the past. It would be nice to export a film like this to show the rest of the world something new about us.
Saying this, Georgian films made after the 70's have been pretty cringe worthy (except one or two) which I will discuss some other time. I hope the Georgian film industry will thrive once again....VIVA GEORGIAN CINEMA!
Behind the Scenes-Born In Georgia shoot

Spring and Murakami

It's that time of the year again...
Pimms, Broadway Market Lunches, BBQ's and Facebook posts of flowers...its springtime of course! And my god it's a special time if you’re a Londoner like me. Originally coming from a country that is a sub-tropic region, I have to admit that I find myself feeling rather incomplete if there is no sunshine. I hear you asking: then why on earth do you live in the UK?
Well let’s just say, I plan to immigrate somewhere warmer sometime soon.



I have spent my spring holidays reading in the sunshine. My choice of books has been limited to just one author: Haruki Murakami. I suppose my sudden obsession with him started when I watched Norwegian Wood directed by: Anh Hung Tran which is a feature based on the popular Japanese novel by Haruki Murakami. I had previously just read  one novel of his called “Kafka on the shore” and the film instantly reminded me of just how great his writing was and what I was missing out on by not reading more.
Norwegian Wood is the best-selling book of all time in Japan. The book made Murakami quite popular amongst youngsters. Having only seen the film and not read the book  I can only judge why through his other novels.
His stories are introspective and about experiencing things for the first time they also make unexpected  turns to surreal but comprehensive narratives . They are almost like you’re on some sort of pleasant drug trip. Since young people are so bored of life these days and look for any means to escape, I understand why they have taken a liking to him.
However, what I really want to talk about is the film! It’s definitely the best film I’ve seen this year.
The story:
Upon hearing the song "Norwegian Wood," Toru (Matsuyama) remembers back to his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend. As the two try, in very different ways, to contend with their grief, Toru forms a bond with another woman, Midori.
The Cinematography is outstanding therefore making it one to see at the movies. This film is just plain unique!
Have a look at the trailer below :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2011/feb/16/norwegian-wood-trailer-haruki-murakami

Welcome

I would like to give you all a warm welcome to my page.