Ongoing Journeys

Has It Been That Long?

There are a few reasons why I haven’t written anything here for a while.  The main one is that I have spend more time on twitter  @DarrenRaeToday and I write online  movie reviews for the wonderful online magazine “literallygeeking”. 

Been concentrating a lot of time on my scripts - “Dream Land” is a work in progress and an exciting one at that.  Won’t be long before I have people reading it back for me to see how it sounds.

Travel wise, I shall be on the go again in 2013, with a longer journey this time.  Before then I expect I shall either over-haul this blog, or create a new one elsewhere as this blog is more geared for those with pictures and drawings, as opposed to reviews and rambles by me.

Working on a few articles for some travel magazines so fingers crossed they get accepted.

OSCAR 2012 Nominees - My Picks

The nominees are in and despite the fact that half the movies have yet to be released over here (Question - Where is “Shame”?????), here are my own personal tips/favorites to win:

Best Picture:

The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight In Paris

Moneyball

Tree Of Life

War Horse

For me, its either “War Horse” because I love Spielberg, or “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” because it’s my tip for being a great movie when it’s released. However, judging by previous winners, the Academy is bound to choose “The Artist”, which was alright, but not Oscar worthy in my mind.

Best Actor:

George Clooney - “The Descendants”

Demian Bichir - “A Better Life”

Jean Dujardin - “The Artist”

Gary Oldman - “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Brad Pitt - “Moneyball”

Any film that Clooney is in where he ISN’T the romantic lead is usually good for a bet. He excells at being in more dramatic movies, and despite “The Descendants” not being released yet, I go for him. The Academy however will probably give it to Jean Dujardin.

Best Actress

Glenn Close - “Albert Nobbs”

Viola Davis - “The Help”

Rooney Mara - “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”

Meryl Streep - “The Iron Lady”

Michelle Williams - “My Week With Marilyn”

Let me see, do you think the Academy will play it safe and go for Meryl? Or push the boundaries choose a leather clad, motor bike riding, punky dark heroine who was anally raped on a bed? My pick is Rooney Mara, but have a feeling the Academy will go for Meryl.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh - “My Week With Marilyn”

Jonah Hill - “Moneyball”

Nick Nolte - “Warrior”

Christopher Plummer - “Beginners”

Max Von Sydow - “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

A toughie as there are some good performances here, but the fact that Von Sydow’s brilliance shows through even in the adverts, I’m gong with him as my my personal choice. The Academy - Kenneth Branagh.

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo - “The Artist”

Jessica Chastain - “The Help”

Melissa McCarthy - “Bridesmaids”

Janet McTeer - “Albert Nobbs”

Octavia Spencer - “The Help”

Can’t help feeling that “The Help” could do well here. If not, then again “The Artist”. My choice - Any of “The Help” nominees. The Academy - Berenice Bejo.

Overall, lack of mention of “Drive” is appaling, as is “Shame”. Yet “Bridesmaids” and “Moneyball” all get in? Terrible.

Best Director, Screenplay, Animated feature etc to follow

So Long 2011, Roll on 2012

So as this travel/movie/personal blog completes 2011, my own personal opinion is that for me, 2011 has been the year I got out the rat race and started chasing my own dreams.   I back-packed around USA, something I had planned and dreamed about since 2000. I started and am well into my first film script - ‘JourneyMan’.  Last year was one o illness, poverty, emotional lows and many frustrations, so 2011 blew that out the water.  I look forward to 2012.  First up in January is a Scottish Screenwriters Meeting which I’m invited to (and soiling myself at the thought of other people going through my script before tossing it in my face with an air of ‘impostor!Get out! You don’t belong here!’), then in March its France for 7 long months to work, just south of Paris.  If that doesn’t inspire you to see the world or chase your dreams then nothing will.  By the end of the year there is 2 probabilities - the 1st is a well deserved holiday in November to Disney World, the 2nd, another seasonal job in winter.  This all gears up to 2013 when I intend to try the impossible - sell my script.  That means spending time in L.A., doing whatever I need to do to get it noticed.  Starting the push ups and putting the Rocky soundtrack on now!!

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!

As the food settles in my stomach (clearly plotting to reappear at some point in the future!), the beer in my hand and crappy tv suggests that Christmas has been and almost gone.  Presents opened and broken, tantrums tears and tiredness - who knew that one day could bring a wealth of stress!

Good luck to movie buffs out there - the tv is so poor it makes you reach for the dvds.

On to New Year now…something tells me a beer in my hand and dire tv is going to be a theme that night also!

Act Two (I) - Done!

Always a joyous occasion - and I don’t mean the upcoming day of beer and gifts. But finally the first part of Act Two of JourneyMan is done and dusted.  My “6 Things that need Fixing” are up and running, and to celebrate, a latte with Christmas Cake. Heres to Adam and Arianne saving the human race!!

Prochain voyage - France!

Travel update - I shall be on my way to the The Loire valley in France come this March.  I was successful in my job interview - hurray! - so between now and then my goal is to have all 110ish pages of ‘JourneyMan’ done and dusted, printed and passed out, and maybe even read by close friends.  Au revoir!

Ones For The Bin

So there you have it.  Theres a few that was on the cusp - ‘The Thing’ , ‘Morning Glory’, ‘The Tourist’ all spring to mind.  Im aware some were released Dec 2010, but I only put the dates when I seen them in the cinema.

I would like to add, that although these films are not ones I enjoyed, would I rather have ‘JourneyMan’ lying unmade, but unscathed, or made, but slaughtered? i actually think i would rather have it slaughtered, at least that way I still have a movie under  my belt.