| Beautiful girls, beautiful car, beautiful In-N-Out Burger. Really hoping the driver is sober, or they got some of that autonomous drive tech. The perfect play over and over break-up song. |
| Considered by many to be "the most dangerous movie ever made", "Roar" is simply unbelievable! Other adjectives that will go through your mind while watching may be: crazy, brave, irresponsible, shocking, stupid and unique.
Dozens of lions, tigers, panthers, and all sorts of "big cats" invading every corner of the house like a swarm of bees, chasing the actors, biting, jumping over, destroying everything around with the sheer weight of their huge bodies, and all without stunt doubles or CGI. Completely real. How does something like this exist? First of all, this movie checks all the boxes for a passion project. It was born out of the personal desire of actress Tippi Hedren ("The Birds") and her then husband, Noel Marshall, after the two while filming in Africa have learned more about the risk of extinction that these big cats suffer due to unbridled hunting. They fought to make this film and involved their own family (including Tippi's daughter, the actress Melanie Griffith) and their own money. For this, Tippi acquired a large area in California and rescued dozens of felines. To this day the actress continues with this beautiful work and the place has become an animal sanctuary called Shambala. The filming began in 1974, but the complete film was only released in 1981 in Australia. That's because during the filming, in addition to several cases of production and cast members injured by the "cats", there was a big flood in '78 that destroyed the sets and killed three lions, including one of the protagonists, Robbie, which further delayed the film. The film ended up being a bomb, costing about $17 million and only getting $2 million at the box office. In an attempt to reduce financial loss, the marketing team set up its strategy precisely around the number of injured during the recordings with the tagline: "No animals were harmed in the making of this movie. 70 members of the cast and crew were." Tippi herself later denied that so many cases had occurred, but confirmed that there were indeed some very serious occurrences. The most notorious injuries were of the cinematographer Jan de Bont who had to receive 220 stitches after being scalped, of Tippi herself who was bitten on the head by a lion and had a fractured leg, of Melanie who got her forehead slashed, and of Noel Marshall who "was in the hospital so many times they were going to name a wing after him" according to Tippi. The big problem with "Roar" is that the plot and the characters are practically nonexistent. The acting is bad and the focus seems to be in just sending a message in favor of the preservation of these animals. It's frustrating to see so many incredible and unique images being piled up without the ambition to deliver anything other than a simple spectacle. "Roar" is the kind of film that the story behind it is more fascinating than the final product itself. It's a pity that the care and passion that surrounded the whole idea behind this madness wasn't present in the plot, the characters, or any other aspect of the production that didn't involve the impressive feat of filming alongside dozens of apex predators. Don't get me wrong, it's an impressive achievement, and "Roar" deserves the fame of being "the most dangerous movie ever made", but that by itself doesn't guarantee a good movie. |
| Okay this was a gift in a way from some past Sephora order I made and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It really just smells like perfume to me. I probably wear it like once a month when I'm bored; it's also pretty strong but it's not bad! I suppose it's fruity in a way as well as floral. Definitely doesn't smell like the Paris metros or any of the Paris rats I met in the park. But points for trying to evoke that grand city of love. |
| It's no secret I'm absolutely in love with Cate Blanchett, like, photos of her taped all over my walls in love. She was the driving force of probably 80% of my excitement for attending Cannes Film Festival this spring. And when I saw her in person at the closing awards ceremony...... anyway, what a talented and elegant woman. While I was in Europe the past six months, her advertisement for this perfume was EVERYWHERE, especially in Cannes all over bus stops and billboards. But I definitely never would have sought out this perfume; I mean I don't even wear perfume, plus Cate and I are a different demographic, plus I could tell just looking at the ads that it's hella expensive. However, while passing through the duty free shop in London airport en route to Barcelona what should I spot but a saleswoman brandishing samples of none other than the Cate Blanchett perfume itself. Might I add that my friend I was travelling with was EXTREMELY supportive as I basically sprinted over to snatch a whiff and she even got a sample herself. And what do you know! It's nice. It's definitely sweet but not too powerful. I'm just not a perfume buyer though! Especially since I spotted the price tag and it was somewhere in the realm of 200 pounds (for the very largest bottle though!). Gotta say I wouldn't refuse it as a gift! But I'll remain content with my exotic European memories and all the good times Cate and I had together this semester. |