My opinion on various things. And pics.

As I'm sure you are all aware, I have an opinion on pretty much everything :-) So here are my thoughts on a couple of things:

Movies:

Unkown: I love Liam Neeson. I love action movies and thrillers. One would think this was a match made in heaven. And it was definitely edge-of-your-seat engaging. The only problems are the plot holes the size of JuJu's ego and the fact that it's all been done before. And let's face it, Bourne Identity did it a little better. I give it 6 out of 10.

Thor: Expecting a credible storyline and a superb script from a comic book movie is a bit like expecting a politician to tell the truth - it's possible, but quite rare. That said, if you can ignore the really daft plot, cheesy lines and superficial characters, Thor is actually quite a lot of fun. The special FX are pretty impressive, there's loads of action and, of course, there are Chris Hemsworth's abs. I give this one 6 out of 10 too.

TV:

Masterchef Australia: I don't know why I watch this show. I find it so stressful that I spend most of it clenching my fists and chanting contestants' names over and over as if I can stop them from being eliminated. But I love it. I really do. For the first time in ages, TSC and I are following something (other than sport) regularly on TV. Of course, it helps that we have a PVR now :-)

Restaurants:

La Passant: I bought a voucher for La Passant in Sandton awhile ago from awesome group buying site, WiCount (http://www.wicount.co.za/), and WOW - what a find! TSC and I had such a lovely dinner there. He had the lamb shank in red wine, cranberry and chocolate sauce (yum!) and I had the duck breast with orange and mango sauce (also yum!). We finished off with a rooibos creme brulee and the beligian chocolate mousse - both were little pieces of heaven on a plate. And the service was fabulous. We'll definitely be visiting again.

So those are my opinions for today. And here are some more pics from Sondela...

TSC feeding Porky, the tame warthog who was taken in by the Wildlife Centre when he was abandoned by his mother...

Sweet ass :-)

Yummy cheese platter that was brought to our room as part of our package on our first night...

Three giraffes. We saw them from a distance when we were out cycling, so we headed closer, got off the bikes and walked near enough to take pics - amazing experience...

A million things on my mind...

...But not many to blog about. I'm busy, busy, busy with freelance stuff at the moment, which is great, if challenging. And seeing I don't have much time, I thought I'd just share my thoughts on two movies I've seen in the past week, and ask for your opinions on them too.

The Changeling

IMO, this is Angelina Jolie at her best. Playing a 1920s mum, she is not her usual slick leather-clad, gorgeous self. As Christine Collins, mother to Walter, she is soft and reserved and definitely lacking in kick-ass in the beginning of the film. When Walter disappears, however, Christine is distraught and moves into action to involve the Los Angeles police in trying to locate her son.

Eventually, they find a child that fits his description and a grand reunion is planned for mother and son. The trouble is, Christine is convinced that the boy is not her Walter. The LAPD are sure he is. So sure, in fact, that they believe Christine has gone mad.

What ensues is a gripping story of murder, mother love, corruption and agony as Christine fights for her son and dares to question the actions of the police - soemthing not generally done, and definitely not approved of by the society of the time.

It's a long movie and it's not a happy, feel-good flick, but the performances from Angelina Jolie, creepy old John Malkovich (actually playing a good guy for a change) and Jeffrey Donovan are excellent. I'm glad I saw it.

Now, to any of you who've seen it... What did you think?

Movie number two...

Slumdog Millionaire

I am always wary of movies that get gazillions of awards. They are often, IMO, daft and pointless. In fact, I reckon that people just vote for them because they think that they look deep and meaningful and that if they vote for them, they'll look smart and like they understand a lot.

Right, vent over.

Slumdog Millionaire, with its oodles of Oscars and bushels of British film awards, was a movie that I reckoned would disappoint me. But I was wrong. I am a sucker for well made feel-good movies and this film captured my heart and melted it into a big pile of mush from the very first minute.

Danny Boyle, who directed the film, has a varied bunch of movies under his belt. From the chilling Shallow Grave (if you haven't seen this and love nail-biting flicks that will haunt you for weeks, see it) to the groundbreaking Trainspotting and the weird (no, make that truly bizarre) Alien Love Triangle, Boyle has bounced all over the show.

Slumdog Millionaire tells the tale of Jamal, an 18-year old boy from the slums of Mumbai who has made it onto the popular TV show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and is one question away from winning 20 million Rupee when he is accused of cheating and arrested. As he is questioned by the police, his life is told in a series of flashbacks and we learn how he knew each of the answers to the questions asked on the show.

I honestly didn't think Dev Patel, who plays Jamal at 18, was great. But the kids who played him during the stages of his younger years (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar especially) and those who played the other main characters Salim and Latika as children made the movie for me.

It's not the greatest movie ever made, but to me it was pretty damn good. Why? The sense of rhythm, the soundtrack, the clever editing and the use of little mise en scene clues (like the fact that Latika always wears yellow in scenes where she and Jamal are happy together) appeal to me. There are moments where you guffaw with laughter and those where I quietly shed a tear, or felt my hand go to my throat in horror.

In short, it moved me. What did it do for you?