The Sitar Player's Humble Abode

I was bored tonight after watching Sleepless on Seattle, which I had recorded on the DVR (VHS? What is it?) so I took photos of my bedroom, naturally. I needed photographic evidence of what it once looked like, anyway, so why not let you all see? Obviously they can all be clicked and made larger.


Picture number 1 is of my amazing Jamie Bell/Chumscrubber door hanger. It personally makes me feel as if Jamie is telling people to stay out because we're having hot sex discussing poetry. Second picture is right next to the door. It's a poster of East of Eden (double sided with Rebel Without a Cause, but I have that poster hanging directly to the left of me at the computer so I can forever be in it's presense). I also have a West Side Story hanger, which I adore and three random ebay purchased Mulholland Drive sketches. And, yes, they are three SpongeBob SquarePants plush dolls. I bought them at the Show (or the "county fair" for you American folks). To the left there is my Psycho poster and a small collection of random movie flyers that I have picked up from cinemas over the years. I also had my Price Is Right sticker on there, but it fell off one day and I didn't realise until it got sucked up by the vacuum cleaner. :/


First here is my big James Dean poster that hangs above my bed. I got it for my 21st birthday from Mick and Ryan (aka, awesome people, even if Mick is actually a munchkin from the Lollipop Guild). Obviously it's signed by James Dean himself because there's no way they'd sell something with his autograph manufactured onto it. Right? RIGHT?! And, yes, that is a little bit of a Birth poster on the left there.


Next is my computer desk. Things that you may be able to see on my desk:

A computer screen

Speakers

A modem

About 50 CDs including Bruce Springsteen, Amy Winehouse, Prince, Natalie Imbruglia and the soundtracks to Marie Antoinette and Hallam Foe, which doesn't have a case. I really should try and find that case.

Batteries.

The small poster for In The Company of Actors that I picked up at MIFF while waiting to be let into a cinema. The movie is a doco about Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving preparing for their New York performances of Hedda Gabler. I didn't see the movie at MIFF, but I wanted to. I keep meaning to scan the poster in. Oh well.

An I♥NY mousepad.

My AFI Members guide to the film festival.

A half empty box of chalk.

A rubber band.


This is what's on top of my desk. There's an iPod box, a Spirited Away fan, a Moulin Rouge! mug, several movie-related books (such as two different editions of 1001 Movies to See Before You Die), Lord of the Rings collectable figures (they came with the box!), Ralph Lauren Blue cologne, Bvlgari cologne, a fake Academy Award, the lower half of a Breakfast Club poster and my very own UMA Statue (#101/600 thank you very much people who bought it for my birthday).


Shoes! And gross old thongs (er, flip-flops you guys) and a satchel. I'm not sure why I took this photo, actually. Hmmm.


SOPHIE! I love my Sophie. She randomly decided she'd get inside my closet and sit on my clothes (thanks a bunch), but it was so freakin' adorable that I needed to take a photo (which is what started my whole photo-taking thing this evening). As you can also see I have a blue and a light yellow shirt in my collection - how mysterious.

A note from the editor:

I will be out of the office for a few days this weekend so unless I desperately feel the urge to find an internet cafe you won't be hearing from me until Sunday evening. I have eight (count 'em !EIGHT!) movies to see in Melbourne this weekend as part of the AFI Festival of Film so I'm staying up there on Friday and Saturday night. I'll be wrecked by the end of it, but it'll be worth it. Unless, of course, movies of the considerable, ahem quality like Footy Legends or Solo are there. In which case I'll be throwing things at the screen. One of the films I'm seeing (The Final Winter) is about rugby, so I am already incredibly wary, considering the debacle that Footy Legends was.

Wish me luck, and I'll inform you all on how it went down come Monday.

?

umm...

I do feel like watching Rebel Without a Cause now though.

Oh. My. God. !!!.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ja, thank you from the bottom of my heart for finding this clip.

It's pretty much a bonafide fact that James Dean and Paul Newman were the two sexiest men ever to grace this Earth. Whoever the casting director was on East of Eden made a big mistake there. Or, actually, maybe it wasn't such a bad decision because, really, with both Dean and Newman in such close proximity for two hours who would be able to pay attention to anything else? I mean, I could barely concenrate in the above 40-second clip. Crikies.

Nathaniel's Movie Meme

I got tagged. And by none other than Nat. This movie-themed meme is gonna be super-fun. Enjoy. I get to tag three people at the end, so you better do it, bitches.

1. Popcorn or candy?

Well, it depends. If I'm about to sit down to a serious movie, I kinda prefer neither. If I'm seeing a movie by myself I prefer candy (typically maltesers). But if I'm with friends (which is usually the case) and we're not seeing something like United 93 then it's popcorn. Popcorn all the way!

2. Name a movie you've been meaning to see forever.

I've seen a few of these movies over the last year or so (such as The Godfather trilogy), but there are still a whole tonne of them. I think the title that I keep trying to see but never actually doing so is Schindler's List. Many other classic titles are either hard to find down here or not available at all.

3. You are given the power to recall one Oscar: Who loses theirs and to whom?

I'm gonna limit this to stuff that's occured in my Oscar-watching years. Otherwise i wouldn't know where to start. Now, I'm not going to take it off of Halle Berry for Monster's Ball because, well, there are just so many other worthy contenders for the prize and I suppose the whole "first black woman" thing was good. I'm not even gonna take it off of Renee Zellweger for Cold Mountain because if she didn't win it then she would've been nominated another 2 times since. And, shock of shocks, I'm not even going to steal it off of Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby or Jamie Foxx for Ray - two of my most despised winners of recent years because without them to insult and barrate who else is there (apart from Paul Giamatti?)?? So, no, I'm going to take it off of RON HOWARD for his "direction" (read: followed the template from a directing-for-dummies book) of A Beautiful Mind. I would then give it to the best director of our generation, Mr David Lynch for his work on Mulholland Drive. That is directing, folks.

4. Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe. Which will it be?

Okay, I wouldn't look anywhere near as cool, fashionable or sexy in it, but the red jacket, white tee and denim jeans worn by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause? How about a Hell Yes!

5. Your favorite film franchise is...

Hmmm. Whenever I consider this question there are always too answers: The Scream franchise and the Terminator franchise. I even heart the third installments of each of these series, despite the general concensus being that they're shithouse.

6. Invite five movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why'd you invite them? What do you feed them?

I'm excluding dead people, unfortunately

1. Hugh Jackman, cause duh. He's Hugh freakin' Jackman. Plus he and Meryl (see below) could do a duet
2. Jamie Bell, cause then I could try and turn him homo and we could live forever and ever (remember, we're only 5 months apart in age)
3. Gina Gershon, cause we need some sexy profanity-laced laughs, plus me and her can recreate my favourite Showgirls scenes as light entertainment between meals
4. Nicole Kidman, so I can be in her presence. She and Hugh would be able to share many a story cause they're old friends.
5. Meryl Streep, cause she's a hoot and she's smart and she's probably really interesting.

I'd serve them whatever my cook decided to make (cause bitch plz, if I'm living in a world where famous people can come to dinner with me, I also live in a world where I have a chef working for me, okay!)

7. What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater?

They should have to stand at the exit of the cinema when the movie finishes and people can take their suitable brand of justive out on them. They're horrible cretenous creatures.

8. Choose a female bodyguard: Ripley from Aliens. Mystique from X-Men. Sarah Connor from Terminator 2. The Bride from Kill Bill. Mace from Strange Days.

Well, The Bride knows the five point palm trick (whatever it was called) so that would be pretty damn useful, but I can't see her getting away with carrying around that giant sword in many places. Still, she knows how to handle a gun as well, so The Bride it is. I mean, she can take of 88 crazy Japanese men, that's pretty darn impressive!

9. What's the scariest thing you've ever seen in a movie?

The final scene of The Blair Witch Project. Terrifying.

10. Your favorite genre (excluding comedy and drama) is?

Well, musicals and horror are two genres that, when I really like the films, I REALLY like them. But they are filled with just as much crap as good stuff. But, I'd still say them because I get a general thrill outta watching them and I actively seek them out (unlike comedies or whatever) and I like to see as many as possible even if they are bad.


11. You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. How do you wield this power?

I greenlight a bunch of musicals with good directors and stars (think Hugh Jackman). I greenlight some good horror titles. I rid Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti and various others from my studio. I axe all comedies that cost over $75 million. I axe all dramas that haven't cast someone talented in the lead. I will create several titles that cost a small amount, but that would play well in the arthouses and eventually be great Oscar candidates but would appear to be surprises and I could go "Wow! We just didn't expect this film to do as well as it is. It's the little movie that could!". I'd limit CGI animated movies to 2 a year. One in the first half, one in the second - but they must be of quality and must not be filled to the brim with NAMES, cause that's just lazy and boring. I wouldn't greenlight a single remake unless it was of something that was crap in the first place and that would actually turn out good this time around (so no When a Stranger Calls moments of crapiness first AND second time around). Also, sequels will be kept to 2 a year, so as that way not to burn out all possible franchises in one go (too many sequels in one year means people get tired of them all bar a few)

12. Bonnie or Clyde?

Clyde cause... ya know... he's Warren Beatty.


13. Who are you tagging to answer this survey?

I tag Adam, Emma and Simon. DO IT!!!