Film Festival Fun

It's that time of year again.

Right now, Wellington can either be stunningly beautiful, channelling Tennyson's "all in the blue, unclouded weather," or unapologetically foul, as the Cook Strait is rained, blown and spewed upon the streets, houses and hills.

Basically it's this one day:

And something like this the next:

The state of the weather is a little bit off-topic, but my point is that each year, mid-to-late July heralds the New Zealand International Film Festival, and, for the the third year in a row, I plan to traipse around the city in inappropriate footwear, visiting the gorgeous cinemas, hunting down interesting new films. (The inappropriate footwear being little suede ballet flats. They don't hold up to the city's hills, and they certainly don't survive a full southerly thunderstorm.)

Anyway, this year, I've got a lot of films I want to see. Unfortunately, due to other people being a lot more organised than me (ie, they booked tickets), I've missed out on seeing the Czech "Kawasaki's Rose" - a film inspired that explores the communist state surviellence that Czech's live with daily. Not surprisingly, this film is said to be inspired by "The Lives of Others."

However, not all is lost.

There's still Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" (starring the very attractive Ewan McGregor). There's the kiwi film "The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell." There's the intriguing (and beautiful looking) Brazilian film "I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You." And finally, with a nod to my Australian Gangster heritage, there's "Animal Kingdom."

Should be good times.

xx Esther

Fake Advertising Is Awesome

So I spent some time doing some non glamorous things like sitting exams. Fortunately, this was followed by a much more glamourous week spent skiing. Which has since been followed by a less glamorous week of work, and sandwiches for dinner. Life is cycle isn't it?

However, skiing and sandwiches aside, via a friend, I have come across something AWESOME. Or at least an awesome person. Or a person who can produce awesome art. Whatever.

Think Alex Varanese.

Think 1977. Think sweet wood panels. Think warm reds, yellows and browns. Then think groovy 70s print advertising. And then think again that the advertising was for ipods, laptops and mobiles. That's right. Imagine if the 70s had our technology. And some sweet graphic designers. Go nuts imagining that.

Have fun

xx Esther