My Hero

So in light of recent events (my dad's house getting robbed a week before christmas and my mum having to go to hospital) I need some cheering up. So today I am dedicating this post to my hero: Peter Jackson.

Jackson is a fellow kiwi who has used his incredible talent to not only bring amazing films to life but to also put New Zealand on the map. Before Lord of the Rings many people thought my country was either a part of Australia or located near England. Now they know I'm from the land of hobbits and wizards.

I have seen every one of Jackson's films. I can safely say that I am his number one fan. For Christmas one year my dad bought me every book associated with the Lord of the Rings films. I managed to write three essays on Jackson in University, and I even flew down to Wellington in 2003 to go the Return of the King premiere, and got to meet many of the lead actors. I may also own the one ring and Arwen's pendant...and quite possibly have had a cat named Strider, and I might have nicknamed a car Shadowfax...

Anyways, Peter Jackson is my hero. He came from a small town in beautiful NZ called Pukerua Bay, which is in the South of the North Island. He was born on Halloween, which couldn't be more perfect for a man who began his film career with splatter films like Bad Taste and Braindead. And then he managed to become a king of Hollywood. He has used ingenuity, integrity and originality to create some incredible films. I am still to this day in awe of Heavenly Creatures. He was able to bring this horrific true story to life by not horrifying the audience, but rather by bringing to light the imagination behind the two young girls who would commit a horrible act. The visuals are absolutely stunning and Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey and incredible for two so young at the time.

In Forgotten Silver Jackson managed to anger many kiwis. His mocumentary was so brilliantly done people actually believed it was true, that Jackson had in fact discovered a New Zealand film pioneer whose films had long been lost. What I really loved about this film is the message behind it, that New Zealand has some amazing talent in our very own backyard which we tend to ignore. He didn't know it at the time, but he was about to become New Zealand's golden boy.

Jackson's resume before The Lord of the Rings is actually quite small. It was a surprise to many that a director so unknown at the time would be given the command of such a beloved series. He quickly proved himself though, and I don't think anyone could have bought those films to life they way he did. Those were the films that really made me sit up and see Jackson for the director he is. I remember seeing the first one and loving it so much I went and saw it another 11 times.

Now here's where I admit a flaw in my hero. I was not a big fan of King Kong. I understood why he made it, it was the film that made him want to be a filmmaker, just as Lord of the Rings did for me. However I think the story got lost and I didn't find myself as enthralled in it as I'd hoped I would be. Andy Serkis was incredible as Kong though (and is amazing as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and the graphics were great.

Jackson went on to produce District 9 which completely blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect in that film but I wasn't anticipating the strong and original story or incredible characters and cast. It's a great film and if you haven't seen it go out immediately and rent/buy it.

The Lovely Bones was a shoot that wasn't easy by the sounds of it. Jackson had to replace Ryan Gosling during the shoot (for reasons unknown) and the role went to Mark Wahlberg. I was really impressed with Wahlberg's acting in his role as the father of Susie. It is a very delicate story and could have been told in all the wrong ways but I appreciated how Jackson never made us feel too uncomfortable but bought the emotion through.

It's been a few years since Jackson has directed. He produced Tin Tin with Spielberg, which I have yet to see. The graphics look incredible though, as is to be expected with those two at the helm. Then we got the wonderful news (after the sad news of Guillermo Del Toro's departure) that Jackson would be directing The Hobbit films. I love Del Toro's work, but no one can tell these stories like Jackson can. I wait with the rest of the world in anticipation for December 2012 when the first film will be released.

So that's my hero's journey so far. I can't wait to see what projects he works on in the future. I can only hope that one day my dreams will come true and I will get to work with him.

Ever seen a film without a plot?

Twilight: It used to be a harmless word describing that time between dawn and sunrise or sunset and dusk. Now if you're looking for a definition you have to wade through countless sites dedicated to Stephenie Meyer's book series and the films that followed.

The word 'Twilight' now has the ability to either band together masses of girls and mothers, or send sane film and book lovers running in the other direction.

I am no longer a young girl, not yet a mother, but certainly not sane because last night I went and saw the latest installment of the Twilight films Breaking Dawn: Part One. 


My friends and I started a tradition of sorts whereby we partake in the sport of drinking many alcoholic beverages before watching the film each year. So far I have not been to see these movies sober, to do so would be a risk to my health. So last night my friend and I held true to our tradition and enjoyed a bottle of wine followed by vodka (thus the headache). We sat in the theatre and awaited the start of the fourth film with the lowest expectations known to man.

The film starts off with the wedding, an elaborate outdoor shindig filmed here in beautiful Vancouver. My friend and I really enjoyed this part because a friend of ours was actually an extra in this scene. The wedding part seemed to go on longer than necessary, there was some dancing, a cake, vampires, humans, werewolves, you know, the usual suspects at your friendly local wedding.

Finally Bella and Edward depart on their honeymoon. They are in Rio de Janeiro for about 5 seconds, I think there was a street party and dancing may have been involved. Then they're on a boat and off to Isle Esmee. Once there Bella starts to panic at the thought of losing her virginity to her vampire husband. She actually sits in a crouched position on the bathroom floor for a moment. Finally she makes her way outside where her exceptionally pasty husband wades in the water.

The next morning Edward is brooding because Bella has bruises on her arm. Yes, he bruised her during sex. This is in the books too, books that are read by young girls. I can't think of a worse way to describe the losing of one's virginity to young girls. Sex with the person you love = violence. But Edward being the good man he is simply refuses to have sex with his wife anymore, preferring instead to play chess, and go hiking in the hopes that she'll simply be too tired and will go to sleep. Now this is where we can tell the writers have truly lost it. Any woman will tell you that we wait at least 6 months after marriage before we pull the "I'm too tired" line. Poor Bella flaunts herself in skimpy outfits in hopes of getting his attention. In the end she realises that all it takes is a little emotional manipulation, some crying and feelings of inadequacy. So to recap: Losing your virginity = violence, and sex = emotional manipulation.

It only gets better though. On their honeymoon Bella starts to feel sick and lo and behold realises that she is pregnant. I have yet to understand how a dead thing such as a vampire can procreate, but this is just semantics isn't it. Unfortunately Edward is not happy about this, and who can blame him. He finally agrees to have sex with his wife and she gets pregnant. Worse. Honeymoon. Ever.

The rest of the film focusses solely on Bella's pregnancy which makes her weak and thin and brings her to the brink of death, you know, your standard pregnancy. Of course then Edward reads Jacobs mind who has come up with quite an intelligent thought. Bella needs blood. Cue a blood bag and a straw and voila you have what every doctor recommends pregnant women drink in the third trimester. Turns out that baby likes blood and so does Bella. This is perfect because Bella wants to be turned into a vampire and that means lotsa blood for breakfast, lunch and tea.

And that's it, seriously, that's the film. Bella marries Edward, Bella loses virginity to Edward, Bella gets pregnant by Edward. I mean, it's compelling right. I'm surprised a legendary actor like Ben Kingsley didn't ask for a role. In hindsight it would have made a vast improvement if he had. I really don't recall watching a movie with such a lack of plot before. This is what happens when you try to turn one book into two films. You see this is ok if the book is well written, such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or Tolkein's The Hobbit. Breaking Dawn should have stayed as one film, like a bullet to the head, get it over quickly. Sadly that's not the case. There's a part two.

Have you seen the film? Are you a twihard and want to reprimand me for my opinion? I would love to hear all sides of the argument. Let's start an argument about Twilight, because there's nothing else going on in the world right now that needs our attention.