The Casual Vacancy

             I think I expressed my admiration for J.K. Rowling and her books many, many times before. And no surprise here that when I heard about Rowling's new book - The Casual Vacancy - I wanted to read it immediatelly. I was also very excited to hear that the book is not for kids but for adults. I bought it as a gift for myself for Christmas :)

I started to read it and ... a slight dissapointment :(

What I liked about the book:

It was great to read about a modern british society. I realise that the characters were fictional and the stories were not based on any particular events of course. But still, a book written by a British writer about Britain gives us an opportunity of an insight, which would be much less possible if the book was written by a non-British person. In this, I regard her a little bit like Jane Austen, whose novels were a mine of information about her times..

I liked the characters. So different, coming from every background, different religions, having different beliefs, opinions and plans. A true kaleidoscope of people that made the book interesting and diverse.

It was interesting to read about different issues which where part of the community live in Pagford. Rowling touches upon problems of drugs using, home violence, biurocray, local politics etc. These are the issues which every community around the world has to face sooner or later. Problems very much real and contemporary.

What I didn't like about the book:
Although the stories brought up in the book are interesting and modern they didn't have much power for me to be interested. I was pushing myself through the book just out of respect for Rowling and her previous work, which I love so much. The story lacked "the flow" which Rowling is so great in creating. I was bored at times as well. Hmmmm, maybe the next book will be better :)

I'll be back ... Terminator

               I have seen "The Terminator" many, many times. And surprisingly, somehow I don't have enough of it yet. When you watch the first Terminator (from 1984) you have to admire the fresh idea of the movie and they way it was made. There were no computers and "advanced movie technology" back then, you had to do everything yourself. And so the glimpses of the future had to actually be made and filmed instead of being created on the computer screen. Cameron had his special effect crew built a real skeleton of the Terminator, which took Stan Winston 6 months!!! The most memorable scene of the truck explosion at the end of the movie was filmed in a studio with a small truck being blown to bits. The pressure to do it right the first time was - as we can all imagine - enormous :)

I think that The Terminator and its 3 sequels show us the change in movie making and a totally new direction in the cinema. It can be clearly observed since the movies were released every - more or less - 10 years. I will try to explain my theory:

In the first movie from 1984 we have a human Kyle Reesefighting against a regular cyborg (if we can call a cyborg "regular") and protecting a delicate Sarah Connor. Everything in the movie was build from scratch and not much technology was used to make it the way it is.

In the second movie from 1991 (Terminator 2: JudgmentDay) the scenery changes and we notice certain advancements. The protector is no longer a mere human but T-800 himself (fine twist in here). Sarah is no longer a weak and delicate girl but a true rebel's mother. But the biggest (and the most interesting in my opinion) surprise is T-100 liquid metal Terminator (spectacular Robert Patric), who can change shapes whenever he wants. Thanks to images generated by computers we can watch the amazing hospital scene (in which T-1000 walks through the psychiatric hospital bars), car chase (when Sarah, John and T-800 shoot T-1000 and make holes in him) or the final scene when T-1000 melts. Big developments in characters and technology comparing to film number one.

In the third film from 2001 (Terminator 3: Rise ofthe Machines) we again have a better version of the protector T-850 and an ass kicking T-X, who can produce weapons out of her arms and is virtually indestructible (great idea to make the Terminator a girl). We have flying machines, car chases, robots and all sorts of special effects which can blow your mind. Comparing to parts 1 and 2 - more computer meddling.

And finaly film number four from 2007 (Terminator Salvation). I could write a lot here but I guess it's better to see it than read about it. Special effects, special effects and ... more special effects. Cannot get past it. Of course the action takes place in the future and there is war, so a certain amount of special effects is in order. In this movie you can see them all. Luckily we have too good actors playingJohn Connor and Marcus Wright who balance to movie nicely.

I like the Terminator for many reasons. Action, the idea, actors, famous quotes and yes - special effects. But mostly I like it because it started so small and not so expensive (the producer bought the rights to make the movie for 1$). This movie shows that dreams - in every sense of this word - can come true :)

Friends

         I would like to make some new friends - real not on-line ;) I'm no longer a student and my work doesn't give me much opportunity to meet people. I work my shifts alone. At home I'm alone again or with my roomate. But I think I need some more people in my life. Somebody to go out with maybe once or twice a week. But where can I meet them? Any tips? I would be greateful :)

We need to talk about Kevin ...

            Some time ago I saw a gripping and chilling to the bone film: "We need to talk about Kevin".

I will not say anything about the plot so as not to spoil the fun for someone who did't watch the movie yet. The story may be a bit difficult to follow at first. We watch a woman - Eva (spectacular Tilda Swinton), who is struggling to live when constantly met with open hostility from random - it seems - people. Untill the mistery of this behaviour is cleared, we wonder about the heroines story. What happened to her, or maybe, what did she do to deserve this?

The movie is basically carried by one actress - Tilda Swinton - who gives a magnificent performance. As I mentioned in the second post I love "one actor" movies. Swinton is no ordinary artist with a unique face, who made Eva a real person. She was not afraid to look ugly or dreadful in the movie, with unwashed hair and a very tired and old looking face. I found her acting inspiring and thanks to it I felt true sorrow for her character.

Worth mentioning are also two boys - Jasper Newell - and - Ezra Miller - who play Kevin.

Jasper is a young Kevin (6-8 years old) and he almost immediatelly made me dislike his character. He is obstinate, resentful and downright cruel. I could almost feel the hate emanating from him through the screen. And this look that gave me the chills. A wonderful performance from such a young actor.

Ezra portrays a teenage Kevin and he is equally creepy as Jasper. You could actually assume that this is the same boy. There is something disturbing in his performance and it suits the Kevin character perfectly.

If you ever wondered "WHY" about somebody's behavior, I recommend this movie wholeheartedly.

Fushimi Inari-taisha - 伏見稲荷大社

          Sometimes, while travelling you make a lot of plans of the places you want to see. However, there is always something that comes up when you least expect it. And more often than not, the unexpected turnes out to be great :)

One time, when I went to admire the Kyoto Tower and the views from it, I noticed something orange among the dense trees. "What is that?" - I kept thinking and finally went to ask the person who worked at the top of the Kyoto Tower. He informed me that it's Fushimi Inari-taisha and he directed me (more or less) how to get there.

Surprisingly, the shrine was not on my "must see" list, but there was something mysterious and wonderful in that place so I decided to visit it. It was a sunny and very warm day so I was looking forward to going into the shade and cooling of a bit.

First, I encountered a big torii gate, which is sort of an entrance to the whole shrine. The torii can be build from wood or stones, but there are also concrete, steel or copper gates. They can be left in their natural colors or painted, usually black and vermilion (or orange for those who are less able to distinguish colors - like me :).

After going a bit further there is a special place to wash your hands, still further there are first big torii gates. The further you walk, the more torris you see and finally you find yourself in long, orange tunnels surrounded by 100 of Japanese characters on both sides to admire and read ;). Inari (the god of rice) is a patron of buisiness, so that's why many buisnesses in Japan donated new torii gates and inscripted their names on them (and there are still more coming).

Till this day I'm under great impression of the Fushimi Inari-taisha. It was simply wonderful to walk under the torii gates, among trees, breath fresh air and enjoy the quiet (which in Japan is a rare thing). It will always remain one of my favorite places in Japan.

Fushimi Inari seen from the Kyoto Tower

The first torii gate

The inside

Start of the torii tunnel

Smaller gates

In between

The surreal site

Going downhill

Foxes -  the messengers

The place to wash your hands before you enter the shrine

"Serbuan maut" or RAID

          I read or heard somewhere some time ago about a new, excellent action movie - The Raid: Redemption. I have to admit that I'm not an action films fan, but after reading the description of the plot I decided to risk it and see it.

And I can hardly say how surprised I was upon learning that it wasn't an American movie - but Indonesian!! I guess it only means how well I can do the research that after reading what the movie was about I failed to find out the origin of the production. But, ohhh well .... what can I say.

However, as I mentioned here before in Polish television we don't often have a chance to see any other productions than American or sometimes European. So I decided to use the opportunity to watch something different, and I must say that it wasn't a dissapointment.

Raid is a story of a police invasion on an apartment building, which is inhabited by a dangerous criminal and a drug dealer - Tama. He made the building his headquarters and a true fortress. The police is determined to make the arrest, but there is a very important piece of information which is unknown to the officers who take part in this action. The raid was not scheduled by the police but by Lieutenant Wahyu, who is planning his personal gain from it. From the moment of entry the officers are sentenced to certain death.

There is one man however, who will not give up and get himself killed so easily. This man is Rama (played by Iko Uwais), who is excellently trained and determined not only to survive but also to exercise justice.

The movie is so full of action, fighting scenes and action twists that it can make your head spin practically from minute three. All the fight sequences were made with excellence and precision. I appreciated them even more when I found out that the leading male actor is in fact a martial artist. It makes the fight choreography much more believable and enjoyable.

I can hardly wait for the sequel "Berandal" or "The Raid: Retaliation" which is currently in the filming phase. Uwais comes back here not only as a main hero but also as a fight choreographer again (with collaboration with Yayan Ruhian). I just hope that the second part will be as entertaining as the first one.

Film's official blog: http://theraid-movie.blogspot.com/

Fifty Shades of Grey

             I believe that books are to be read and discussed. And I guess that no other book in recent time has generated so much discussion as "50 shades of Gray" by a British writer E. L. James.

The books tell a story of a young student Anastasia Steele who, to help her sick friend, is forced to do an interview with a young and very successful entrepreneur - Christian Grey. Ana finds Mr. Grey attractive, but also a bit arrogant and very intimidating. After the interview is over she hopes she will never see him again. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately in the end) Mr. Gray has other plans for her and he is not willing to let go of Ana so easily. He persues her and proposes a very special and exciting arragement. Ana hesitates but in the end consents to the proposal and so a totaly new and dark, at times, chapter in her life begins.

I had very mixed feelings while reading the series. It made me often wonder how I would behave in Ana's situation (and I don't mean the sexual relationship, but the emotional one). How I would feel if my "boyfriend" ordered me around, decided everything for me, demended certain behavior. And yet I would feel such attachment to him, that it would be impossible to back out from it all. I must say that I wouldn't like to be in Ana's shoes.

The language of the book and the idea itself are not the most original ones. Yet, I'm thrilled in a way that somebody decided to approach the subject of pure sex (with no love) and the BDSM relations (although I'm not sure wether people who participate in such practice enjoyed the books at all). My appreaciation of the book lies only in the fact that it stirred the public and made us discuss women's sexuality, guilt and sex without love.

I think that popularity of the book proves that the final word about those subjects was not yet said.

All three books covers