Links and Updates

It's been a pretty grim few months. I'm not an American, but I've been watching the Ferguson protests with a mixture of disbelief and horror, and for someone living in New Zealand I think it's of reasonable importance to note that most of my information has been coming to me through social media. There has been a reasonable amount of coverage on the news, but they're not taking a particularly nuanced view of the situation.

So as the protests continue, I think it's important to remember that a) the world is watching, and b) they're watching through the likes of Twitter and Tumblr, not media outlets. To lose access to this form of communication would be the quickest and easiest way to cut off our awareness of what's really going on – so I hope and pray that this won't happen.

***

At the same time all this is going on, I've been trying to inch myself into the Christmas spirit. I put up my Christmas tree, I went to see A Christmas Carol at the ballet, I took my nephew to the Santa Parade, and I went to check out the Christmas windows at Ballantynes Mall (Christchurch's oldest department store, which puts on a seasonal window display every year).  

And of course, Christmas shopping. So far presents include second-hand books, a candle, and agreements not to exchange gifts. Yes, it's going to be a very frugal Christmas, though I know I'm going to have to splurge on my parents sooner or later (I'm thinking maybe a restaurant gift-card so they can go out for a decent meal).

And here's my Christmas tree:

I went for wintry theme this year, playing with the idea that you could be wandering through a deep forest and stumble across this tree covered in birds and snowflakes and (my favourite part) a little fairy house.

My nephew's verdict: "cool." At three years old, I don’t think he's quite grasped the concept of puns, so I'm going to assume that he was being sincere.

***

This trailer for The Little Prince caught me completely off-guard:

It's just magical. I've devoted entire pages to picking apart movie trailers, but this one just makes me want to gaze at it starry-eyed. The animation shift between computer graphics and stop-motion animation doesn't surprise me given the director (who used similar tactics in Kung Fu Panda), and the whole thing just looks stunning. I'll be putting this one on my calendar.

***

A new sub-column is happening over on Helen Lowe's blog, in which I review films under the banner: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films You've Probably Never Heard Of". I know that title is just asking for a number of snarky comments from viewers who of course have seen all the films I plan to tackle, but hopefully the silent majority will be introduced to an innovative project that they otherwise would have missed.

***

I'm seeing The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on Friday! I might repost my reviews for the first two instalments and finish up with my thoughts on this one in the weekend.