Learning more. :: knitting/films

A friend found this lovely book for me in a charity shop- it had some pages missing, and she thought I'd enjoy it mainly for the photos. To use in collages and things.

But it's got such wonderful information in it.
There is a whole bunch of stuff to learn about the different kind of animals that produce wonderful fleece. It's a long road- but a beautiful one.
Just been reading up on mohair goats this morning. There is a lovely little website about Coloured Angora Goats. And some tips on spinning it.


Also watches Hannah At Seventy on lovefilm.

So lovely. Particularly enjoyed the bits about the sheep- and how they get stuck in the snow! bless them. It's so wonderful finding more about these very special creatures and the lives of the people that tend them. Maybe one day I'll have some sheep and goat and llama.... a girl can dream.

p.s. did you know llamas can act like security guards for sheep. cute!

Metropolis. :: Films& Bluebeard.

Some of my favourite scenes/moments/shots/faces from the movie. It truly is a masterpiece:





















The subtle movements. Slow. Impact. Big facial expressions. Gestures. Dwelling. Quick cuts. Back and forth. 'Horror' girl faces. Transitions. Fades. Experimental.

I'd quite like my project to have the same feeling. Not nessisarily black and white. or moving. or silent. but, holding some of the qualities.

Free Film Festival. :: Film/Cinema

A friend of mine (who always seems to know the best things going on in London) let me know about a silent film being shown on the top of a parking garage in Peckham. We went along last night.
It was wonderful. I always have a soft spot for black and white. And silent films. And russians. And the 20's. And live music. So it was a good mix.
We 'camped' out on the concrete in the cold. It was wonderful. So many good things about the film too. Reminded me at certain times of Man With A Camera (Kino Eye Group). Very lovely.
Only slightly bummed out I didn't hear about it earlier, as that was the last event for this year.
Excellent.

April's watching :: FILM/TV

Notable films I've seen in the past few weeks so far...

Watched Mister Lonely tonight. Very impressive. Thought provoking. The perfect thing for a quiet night. Loved the Nuns flying cut in between the life of the impersonators. Abraham Lincoln was also a highlight.

Been watching a lot of The Brady Bunch during the day, like at lunch. It's perfect for background watching. Style icons- all of them.

Fantastic Planet... well- what can I say... it's Fan-freaking-tastic!

Wes Anderson does it again. blimey. It was nice to see Bill Murray being calm. In my mind, he is always the ridiculous gross guy, but now... not so much. The stylings in this is also great (obviously). Love that Bud Cort shows up (love harold and maude to d-e-a-t-h).


Surprisingly a fantastically great film. I was a bit skeptical at first. But Bonham Carter is always worth a watch and this film had humour and real-life and a lot of crazy and kooky characters and a bizzare plot. The dude is completely disposable, but I guess that's what makes it so great- that you do actually hate him. Plus the accents were beautiful. WATCH IT.


Does what it says on the cover. It's so dreamy and heart-melting in so many ways. Made me want to get pregnant with a best friend and move to the welsh countryside. even though they had such a miserable time there- i thought it was beautiful. Again, another head twister- makes you think about life and the choices you make. Plus, set in that time- people's lives were dictated by different social 'rules'. Great.

WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING :: FILM/TV

Been brushing up on my Sci-Fi... and Utopian/Dystopian Societies (my fav).


Had a nice date with Ginger Rogers.

And, actually watched this quite a while ago but, had to add it in:

KASPER HAUSER- WERNER HERZOG :: FILM/TV

The first Herzog film I think I've ever seen is: Even Dwarfs Started Small. They showed it during the Cinema Season last year(2010) during my Foundation at Camberwell. It was one of the films I enjoyed the least at the time. I think the shock factor of it being so radically different from what I would normally watch just threw me off- I remember saying to Peter 'this is soooo weird!' a dozen times during it. Luckily, we had a long conversation about it afterwards and saw one or two of his other films since then, and I have truely fallen for Herzog's directing. In fact, I would love to go back and watch the Dwarfs film again and see if my impression changes- I think I would appreciate the filming more.
I digress...

I found this film while I was researching Cuban Film Posters for our essay (seen above).
Peter came over (my film buddy) and we watched it tonight.


What captured me most was the story- a tragic but beautiful one- told in such a realistic manner. Kasper Hauser's peaceful, quiet, and trusting nature, the subtle but effective styling, the nearly-painful slow scenes, the interaction with animals, the impeccable ease that Herzog captures a life apart from societies normal 'rules', the beautiful german with subtitles, the tension slowly built up in places, the dream sequences, when he first sits at a table and every distraction is shown to us one by one and we feel overwhelmed like he would... plus the way this mans brain worked, the things he said. So wonderful.

"Why can't I play piano like I breathe?"
"The apple is tired. Let it rest... See it is smart. It jumped over your foot and ran away... Smart apple."

"It feels strong in my heart... The music feels strong in my heart... I feel so unexpectedly old..."


"It seems to me that my coming into this world was a very hard fall."


I also thought it might be relevent for our society we are making- he was not concerned with how things were meant to be- but wanted to learn and be and he found beauty in simple things (like the garden).

P.S. there were a few scenes where it looked like he was knitting or crocheting. made me smile.
This is one of those films that truly captures my attention. No crocheting allowed while watching it!

THE PRISONER :: FILM/TV

I came across this show while browsing LoveFilm for some free things to watch. They have quite a great selection of of old films/tv shows.
Beyond it's hilarious serious nature and the james-bond tendencies, it has great style, great filming, and a pretty interesting plot.


Today, I mainly wanted to point out the wardrobe styling. Those capes keep popping back into my mind when I think about my costume project. The colours, then uniformity, the simplicity and the rounded shape.

Apparently this place is a real place in wales???? I need to go there. Need!


And because I can't not say it:
INFORMATION!
INFORMATION!
INFORMATION!
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK WE WILL!
I AM NUMBER TWO.
YOU ARE NUMBER SIX.
I AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREE MAN!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH!

BLAME IT ON RIO :: FILM/TV

I watched this late one night when I couldn't sleep over xmastime. I thought it was noteworthy to put on here, because aspects of it pop into my thoughts every now and again.
I found her incredibly annoying and cringey to watch. She encompassed everything in a stereotype of girl that I find rather disgusting. The throwing-herself-at-him (over and over again even after he's said no), the blatant-unnecessary-nudity, the pouting, the whining, the you-love-me-don't-you, the needy-i-can't-take-care-of-myself, the all-i'm-good-for-is-finding-and-shagging-males. I'm also not a fan of hot vacation spots- or film about the beach BUT I actually found it really interesting. Sometimes the things that make you uncomfortable are actually the best things to learn from.

And I appreciated Michael Caine's ability to not always play 'the stud'. It kind of blew my mind, seeing him acting all shy and nervous around the naked ladies. Made me have a lot more respect for him as an actor. He is so effortlessly cool (and he knows it), and it was great to see him play a character unsure and awkward about bodies.

The fashions were less than desirable- but in-keeping with the time it was made. Nothing too special to say about the filming techniques, except that there were several good one-shot-pans. [: The whole love-triangle (or is it a love-hexagon) is a rather interesting one (I won't spoil it for you!).

Blame It On Rio goes in my "Glad I watched but- but probably won't see again" catagory. Can't win 'em all.