juxtaposition

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”

Movie: High Fidelity (2000)
Character: Rob
Actor: John Cusack

Screenplay by: D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack
and Scott Rosenberg
Based on a book by: Nick Hornby
Director: Stephen Frears

District 9 (read my District 9 review) is set in Johannesburg, South Africa which since it release has earned a cult following. This local movie (although it was produced by New Zealand’s Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson) did amazingly well internationally and was a big trend on Twitter.

D9’s main character, Wikus vd Merwe, has become a bit of a local hero. There is a hilarious new website dedicated to Wikus.

Fans can upload picture featuring Wikus. They are usually movies posters spoofs and will have either “Wikus”, “prawn”, “swietie” or “fok” substituting one of the original words in the title.  Go check out the fokken site (www.wikus.co.za).  It’s some funny stuff.

If you haven’t watched the movie yet, go see it on the big screen to enjoy the full effect of the visual spectacle. It would be lekker fokken stupid to just watch some bad copy of the movie on your computer.

You will probably want to buy the  DVD too, because it would be lekker to watch it again.

Pictures from The Swietie Man

“Well, technically speaking, the operation is brain damage, but it’s on a par with a night of heavy drinking. Nothing you’ll miss”

Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Character: Howard
Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman
Based on a story by: Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth
Director: Michel Gondry

1. Donnie Darko
2. Proof
3. Jarhead
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. The Good Girl
6. Rendition
7. The Day After Tomorrow
8. Bubble Boy
9. October Sky
10. Zodiac

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born on 19 December 1980, in Los Angeles, California. He made his film debut in City Slickers (1991) and had a lead role in October Sky(1998).  The lead role in the  cult-classic Donnie Darko (2001) earned him rave reviews and can be seen as his big break. Since seeing Jake as Donnie, he has been my favourite actor.

He was nominated for the Academy Award (Oscar) and won the BAFTA for his performance in  Brokeback Mountain.  His performance also earned him several other awards and nominations.

Jake’s father Stephen Gyllenhaal is a Hollywood producer and his mom Naomi Foner is a screenwriter. His sister Maggie is also a well-know actress so I think it’s safe to say he was born into show business.

Jake Gyllenhaal is once of the best young actors in Hollywood. I’m sure he will have a long a lucrative career ahead of him.

I have several of his movies on DVD. Even though new DVD are cheap at the moment you might still be able to find secondhand DVDs cheaper in the classifieds.