How to Tame Your Dragon

I watched the live-action movie How to Train Your Dragon at the cinema, which is a remake of the 2010 animated classic. The film tells the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who lives in a village that hunts dragons. Everything changes when he injures a rare Night Fury and, instead of killing it, chooses to befriend and train it. This decision challenges the beliefs of his people and sets off a journey of understanding, courage, and transformation. The live-action version closely follows the plot of the original and features stunning visual effects that bring the dragons and Viking world to life. As a fan of the animated trilogy, I appreciated how faithful the remake was while adding a new layer of realism.

Animated trilogy

Chatswood Reflections

I went to the cinema in Chatswood to watch 28 Years Later which I really enjoyed. Then I took some snaps of reflections in the windows of buildings.

Watching Oppenheimer

Walking to the Cinema at Broadway Centre, Glebe to watch "Hypnotic"

 I went to watch the movie "Hypnotic"in Glebe starring Ben Affleck. Enjoyable with some good twists.

To the cinema to watch "Vice" with Chris

Watching "Mission Impossible: Fallout" in the city

I love the Mission Impossible movies.  This one was great. as usual.

A Walk in The Woods with Sue

Watching "Whiplash" at North Sydney Sunset Cinema

A perfect evening for outdoor cinema at the beautiful Sydney Oval. And it was wonderful to watch my favourite movie of 2014 again and have friends to discuss it with afterwards.  The first time I saw Whiplash I was alone and it was torture not being able to talk about it after.  It's that kind of movie.  J.K. Simmons is a tour de force and I'd love to see him with the award for best supporting actor.  Highly recommended.

Watching "Finding Vivian Maier" at The Cremorne Orpheum

I went to see "Finding Vivian Maier" with Sue last night.  A fascinating documentary about a nanny who, when she died, left behind a legacy of over 100,000 undeveloped photos.  When they were developed, they turned out to contain some of the greatest street photographs ever taken.  I've put some of her photos up on a separate post.

The movie made me want to grab my camera and start snapping.  Very inspiring. So I scratched that itch a little by taking a couple of snaps of the beautiful Cremorne Orpheum Cinema, my favourite local cinema, where we saw the movie.  It's a beautiful cinema with stunning art deco finishings. 

Email to Colin about the movie

Wow Colin, thanks for some great thought provoking reflections. Inspired me to think about it more deeply.

I can only project her motivations from my own experience so am probably way off base as I realise we're not all the same.

But anyway, for what it's worth, I have this often overwhelming compulsion to record moments from my life. It's the motivation behind my blog and more. It's not just an enjoyment thing, but deeper than that.  A way of gaining some sense of "control" and "order" over life which is inherently messy and chaotic and unpredictable.

Maybe she had some kind of similar urge?  Except not just moments from her own life but moments from the wider world around her. Might also explain her obsession with collecting newspapers and clippings and video footage and receipts and memories wrapped up in trinkets etc. etc. ?

She may not have had a strong urge to develop and show the photos because once captured, the "moments" were safe and secure and stored for posterity in her film cartons and boxes.  Her sense of "control" was gained through the capture itself, not the editing and presentation of the results.

Whatever her motivation, I don't think she had any choice in the matter. She was driven by a creative impulse that drove her; something greater operating through her, as it does through so many artists, especially the truly great and original ones.

One of my takeaways?  Obsessive tendencies, even if driven by inner demons, aren't necessarily all bad and can even have their gifts. If harnessed, they can be a catalyst to create something remarkable. An extreme example: Would Van Gogh have ever created Starry Night if his soul had been all perfume and light?

Cheers,
G