Across the ditcH

Well after just on 3 years work on Avatar and 2 Billion dollars later Avatar has now received 9 Oscar nominations!! here is the list. Most importantly for us as VFX artist, it has a nomination for best VFX the movies that Avatar is competing against are District 9 (which Weta Digital also had a hand in) and Star Trek. Now from the outset I have to say I think these movies would be some of my top films of the year. Star Trek blew me away with the FX and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Most memorable moment for me would be the establishing shot of the aircraft arriving at Spocks home planet, just a stunning shot! District 9 I absolutely love the unique story line and location that it offered, plus the effect also left me in awe, considering the budget that it was working to. Whilst there was some notable films left out from this year nominations such as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, 2012, Transformers, Where the Wild Things Are, Terminator Salvation. I believe the final list to be the true contenders for this years VFX Oscar. What do you think? Avatar has already claimed the Best Picture for the Golden Globe awards, but do you think Avatar will take the prestigious award at the Oscars?

ok so I finally got my butt into gear to finally complete another one of our travel videos! Again it ain't that crazy specially but in the time I have had to pull it out of the bag I hope you all enjoy this little one from us in Amsterdam! Cast include the likes of Jen Bain, Dana Whitworth, Karyn Bain, Marcus Whitworth and of course yours truly Mike Bain check it out below!

Ok, so I wouldn't say I am the most talented reviewer of all-time, but last night we saw the new flick 'Up In The Air' directed by Jason Reitman, and starring George Clooney playing Ryan Bingham and Vera Farmiga and fairly unknown actress Anna Kendrick. This movie from the outset was a surprise! I had seen the trailer (see below) and really liked the feel of it, but didn't get an sense of the storyline... BUT it didn't disappoint! I must say here, that I really appreciate films that don't solely rely in VFX to carry the film, so this kind of film for me is always a breath of fresh air.

The story as IMDB puts it in summary "Ryan Bingham's job is to fire people from theirs. The anguish, hostility, and despair of his "clients" has left him falsely compassionate, living out of a suitcase, and loving every second of it. When his boss hires arrogant young Natalie, she develops a method of video conferencing that will allow termination without ever leaving the office - essentially threatening the existence Ryan so cherishes. Determined to show the naive girl the error of her logic, Ryan takes her on one of his cross country firing expeditions, but as she starts to realize the disheartening realities of her profession, he begins to see the downfalls to his way of life."



This screenplay I found to be really engaging from the get go with amazing cinematography which adds to the sense of Ryan's regimented lifestyle, but also ties in with some brilliant comedy that plays on those things we all seem to do, but are not willing to admit. A few of the jokes however seem as though the writers have had a joke they thought was hilarious and figured a way squeeze into the story in any possible way (which still sort of worked... and admittedly still got a few laughs)

As a whole it was a film that really exposes some tough aspects of being fired, not only from the point of view of the... lets say the 'Firee' and 'Firer', which after our recent global recession casts some light back on some of the reality of this past year for many people out there. It doesn't just cover the unusual lifestyle of a traveling suit, but it delves into the such topic as family, relationship, vulnerability, loneliness, career rebirth, and frequent flyers loyalty points! Whilst I think many people will think this is a Rom-Com, it does have the tell tail signs of being one, then with a flick of the switch, diverts you in a direction which I didn't see coming. As Karyn suggested to me the mould from which we all know a plot to follow is fractured here, and tries to step away from the normal constructs on how a story must be resolved, and I think it succeeds in its attempt.

This movie may not be everyones bag, it is definitely one to see, even if it is to see what all the Oscar Nomination hype is about. The crew I watched it with at the Tricycle theatre were left with many questions and thought provoking statements over a pint, and I would suggest doing the same!

I give it 4 out of 5 Schmicko stars

So, I am now heading into my third week of school for the year and it has ben a very different start to the one expected! Namely because of the SNOW!!! So the 'first day' of school and then the second were closed due to the adverse weather conditions :) The snow stuck round for the following week as well, but we survived. However, this did mean that the boys were unable to go outside to play... so it has been a loud and confined start to the year.