My Hero, Rebecca ~

Today I present an interview with a lady that was a continuous source of inspiration for me as a young developing dancer. She was my first "hero" as a child studying at the Tasmanian Academy of Dance. Rebecca Martin is a talented and intelligent woman who was my role model and an embodiment of all the things I wanted to aspire to. She is currently the Marketing Manager of Sansha Australia, writes for Dance Informa, has danced with Ajkun Ballet Theatre in New York and is also a graduate of the Australian Ballet School.

A very big thank you to her for participating ~ much love, J xxx

******

Rebecca Martin ARAD

Ajkun Ballet Theatre's Le Corsaire 

Tell us briefly about your background in dance.

I took my very first dancing class in Newcastle, NSW when I was six after seeing a friend of my sister in her ballet concert.  I remember saying to my mother "that's what I want to do" and from then on all I wanted to do was become a ballerina.  After moving to Launceston, Tasmania, I trained with Allison Gibson at The Tasmanian Academy of Dance.  I moved to Melbourne for one year of full time training at Dance World 301 before being accepted into The Australian Ballet School's three year full time vocation course.  I graduated from there in 2000.

As a young ballet student, you were one of my first role models and one of my favourite memories of you is when you visited us after spending some time at the Australian Ballet School. I will never forget that image of you stretching at the barre and that was all it took to keep me motivated for the next few years. Who were your role models as a young ballet student and how important were they in your process of becoming a ballet dancer?

It's always amazing to hear things like that, and I'm so pleased that I was able to motivate you to achieve your dance goals.  My first role model was also a fellow student and her name was Bryony Coleman.  She was a few years older than me but I adored her, and would write letters and give her gifts.  I also looked up to Lisa Pavane, who was a Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet before joining The English National Ballet.  To me, her technique was perfection and her artistry mind-blowing.  I think that her influence was fundamental in overcoming dark days and times of doubt when inspiration was lacking.  I remember the light-bulb moment when I watched Lisa perform Swanhilda in Coppelia on tv.  There is a very clear line that distinguishes my life before this moment and my life after this moment.  She literally changed everything for me.

Apart from the obvious technical and performance skills/knowledge that students acquire at ballet school, what other “life lessons” do students learn during their time studying full time and are these “hidden lessons” equally if not critically important in the development of a well rounded dancer?

If you are attending a full time ballet school during your formative years as an an adult (15-19) as I did, then you learn a lot about yourself as a person, and about the world and others in general.  You get shaken out of your comfort zone where you were previously a big fish in a small pond at your old ballet school, and become a small fish in a big pond (in the case of The Australian Ballet School).  Your eyes open to so many different experiences that come with the process of growing up, but in this kind of scenario, everything is done on a more micro level, with greater self analysis and self criticism.  It is very easy to become overtly critical and get bogged down in negativity, but part of the learning experience is finding ways to overcome this and become stronger and more resilient to challenges.  Places like the ABS are essential for weeding out dancers that don't have the ability both mentally and physically to have a career in dance, so while technique and talent are entirely critical, it is definitely important to learn these things about yourself, which you discover while training full time.  As for becoming well rounded dancers, I think that comes with learning that there is more to life than dancing, and having other interests and experiences is what makes you well adjusted.  

Do you think resilience honed through ballet training is just as useful to ballet as it is in the outside world?

Absolutely.  Well trained dancers are adaptable, capable, disciplined and motivated, which are desirable traits in all aspects of life.  They also have much higher pain thresholds so they roll with the punches with greater ease than most people.  Dancers can apply these skills to new fields of work, daily chores, relationships, and general goals.  

Do you think people under-estimate the intelligence and emotional strengths of ballet dancers? Why so?

Of course.  Dancers are often tainted with the same "dumb" brush as models by the general public.  They also receive the eye-brow-raising "and what do you do for a living" question, as though dancing is not a valid or viable career.  The majority of dancers are intelligent and emotionally tough.  They have to be.  How else would they put up with long days, late nights, physically demanding work, constant self-criticism and perfection-striving, blisters, bone fractures, torn muscles, pulled ligaments, bunions, fatigue, casting disappointments, ice packs, heat packs, dietary restrictions, and looking at themselves in the mirror in the bare minimum of clothing for 8 hours a day?  A dancer also requires intelligence to learn and remember choreography, improve their technique, and bring some interpretation to each role.

It is assumed that dancers are dumb because they are doing what is perceived to be a solely physical job.  They aren't behind a desk curing diseases or writing dissertations.  

What was it like finally graduating from the Australian Ballet School?

A combination of amazing, fulfilling and sad.  It was also a relief to finally be done with the training side of things.  

Was it difficult to find work in other ballet companies?

To some degree, yes.  Students of The Australian Ballet School are so highly trained and sought after all over the world that we were at an advantage.  The problem arises when there are no jobs available.  Certainly in Australia, there are only a couple of ballet companies and a handful of contemporary companies, so I chose to go overseas where there were more opportunities.  The difficulty I found was finding a place that fit - some companies were too modern for my classical training and some were too strictly classical with 90 dancers which meant little chance of climbing the ranks.  

What made you decide to go to university?

I was always a bookish child and often thought about pursuing an academic career when times got tough at the ABS.  I remember one day in my second year there when I decided that I wanted to study psychology.  It made sense to me to continue my dance studies first and see where that took me.  You only get one chance to dance, but study and office jobs can be done at any time.  After living overseas for a while, I just decided that the time was right to commence a degree at university, because I found that my passion for psychology and study was increasing.  I'm now doing a double degree in Psychology and Criminology.

How did you come to your position at Dance Informa and Sansha?

I began working at Sansha in the store, and have worked my way up by learning everything I possibly could about the business side of things; staying after hours, going in early and doing things on my own time to increase my skills.  I'm now the Marketing Manager and I run an online and print newsletter called To the Pointe.  I used to write for Dance Train magazine, and I met Deborah Searle (Dance Informa owner/editor) at a Dance Expo in 2009.  I showed her some of my previous work and I now write reviews and articles for Dance Informa.  It's a fantastic job that allows me to see many amazing shows and interview very interesting people.  Currently Dance Informa has 20,000 subscribers both in Australia and the US.  Working for both Sansha and Dance Informa lets me indulge my passion for dance and use the knowledge I have about dance, while not having to put in the physical effort of actually dancing!

Do you think that career advice for students is lacking in professional dance institutions and that not enough is done to prepare students for the harsh realities of the dance profession?

To some extent.  When I was at the ABS, precious little was done to help us make the transition from student to professional dancer.  Many less prestigious full time dance schools in Australia have a tendency to sugar coat the reality of making dance a career.  I see many students without the necessary physical attributes being accepted into these schools and then they become crushed when they leave the school and discover that it's a cut throat world and they cannot find a job.  

Having said that, in an institution such as the ABS, the physical workload is very similar to that of a company, while touring and performing is done so students get a taste of life in a company.  

What would be your advice to a young ballet student looking to pursue a career in dance?

Look after your mind and body.  You'll need them both. Also, get the best training possible.  Poorly trained dancers can't rely solely on artistry, and will always stand out for the wrong reasons in a corps de ballet.  Make sure you have interests outside of dance.  Someone with life experience will be a better performer and be stronger psychologically. Take every opportunity that comes your way.  Too many dancers have one lofty goal that they are aiming for but don't realise that it may not be a possibility, or that they need to do other things on the way to achieving that goal.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

       On a beach sipping pina coladas.

****

Another post-apocalyptic story...

It’s really funny...when I saw the trailer for “The Book of Eli” prior to its release in the cinemas I was immediately turned off and I decided with great conviction that I’d had no desire to see this film. I did refuse to go to the cinema’s when it was released (that was easy) but when it was released on DVD, oddly enough I was quite excited to hire it out. I think there’s something slightly comforting being in the confines of your own home watching films you would otherwise not be caught dead lining up for at the cinemas. I think it’s the fact that I can choose to switch it off mid-way if I really dislike it, or I can multi-task and go to the fridge, or top up that glass of wine and lounge around in my PJ’s– something that at a cinema you cannot do. I have a rather love/hate relationship with cinemas. I love the big screen, the loud booming surround sound and I love the feeling of sitting in pitch black darkness watching something brand new. However – I absolutely hate sharing my space with strangers, I hate the rustle of lolly wrappers, I detest the sound of crunching popcorn and I can’t stand it when said strangers get up mid-film to go to the loo, find a seat (if they’ve just arrived), chat incessantly to one another –whispering that is the worst, or most hated of all – laugh at things that are clearly not funny or are just stupid. Yes...I do not hold much social tolerance – probably why I rarely go to the cinema – but when I do, it is only because I really really really want to desperately see something and I know it’ll look just that bit cooler on that big screen (ie. “Inception”, “The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) – and I usually go really late at night on a day of the week guaranteed that it won’t be packed. This post isn’t about how much I deplore sharing my personal space with strangers in a dark room. It’s about this film that yes I did end up disliking in the end – “The Book of Eli”. For those of you that are genuinely interested in seeing this film and have not seen it yet I’d advise you to stop reading now because I may reveal some crucial plot points and themes that will spoil the experience for you. If you are impartial then feel free to continue.

Most people (boys, naive teenagers and men spring to mind – sorry that is rather prejudiced of me but rather humorously that was the demographic that zapped into my brain upon thinking this) would go to see this because it is an action-film with Denzel Washington pulling one liners and meaning business in a post-apocalyptic world. Cool – and you know what, some people I would say came away afterwards probably liking it just for the action scenes and didn’t take away anything else apart from the fact that Denzel wielded a machete in a very cool Matrix-style way and kicked some real butt. Sorry but that is just the icing, the decoration, the little bits of pizzazz that mask a pretty simplistic plot but with a very strong undercurrent theme. That was what struck me. I was not expecting this theme to crop up and now that I sit here writing this I feel like slapping myself because the title pretty much gives it away – “The Book of Eli”. A man tries to make his way to “the West” following an apocalypse that virtualy renders man struggling to survive within a broken down society without any of its luxuries, holding and protecting a very important, sacred text that holds the key to man’s survival. What book could be so powerful and so valuable that someone would risk their life for it? Come on, think...oh that’s right – the Bible. The book of Eli is the Bible. Therein lies the rub. The underlying theme of this action film is how powerful, dangerous, destructive and wrong religion is. Denzel’s character holds the last remaining copy of the King James’ Bible, which makes it incredibly valuable. There are references made throughout the film about how “the war” that was the cause of this apocalypse occurred because of religion. It isn’t said outright but there are little hints (especially towards the end) where it is hinted that man brought upon the apocalypse through religious conflict – hence why all copies of the bible were torched during the fall-out. Out to stop and ultimately steal the book from Denzel is one of my favourite actor’s (who was basically the highlight of the entire film) Gary Oldman, who plays Carnegie, a leader of a “society” who desires to obtain the book in order to control society and in order to gain more control by creating more societies. What he says in the film sums up the very notion of religion and why it exists and will continue to exist because people are too willing to give in to its false sense of security (ignorance) that it delivers:

“IT'S NOT A FUCKIN' BOOK! IT'S A WEAPON. A weapon aimed right at the hearts and minds of the weak and the desperate. It will give us control of them. If we want to rule more than one small, fuckin' town, we have to have it. People will come from all over, they'll do exactly what I tell 'em if the words are from the book. It's happened before and it'll happen again. All we need is that book.”

Without a doubt, for me, Carnegie’s outburst was the best part of the entire film and summed up the very nature of the theme, the message that this film is about. Where it gets confused albeit slightly fuzzed is where we find Denzel transforming into some sort of prophet, which is catering to the Christians. There needs to be an uplifting and enlightening component to the story and what better way to highlight how religion and faith can be a good thing by embodying it in the character of Eli (Denzel Washington).

The ending was borderline nauseating for me to watch and in a way I couldn’t help but flash to a memory of an episode of “South Park” about the Mormon’s – the scene where the show re-enacts how the Book of Mormon came to being was paralleled to what I saw towards the end of “The Book of Eli”. Eli sits down at a table and dictates the entire Bible to Lombardi (a professor he encounters at the end of his journey at Alcatraz playing by Malcolm McDowell). This (for me) was almost like a parody of how Joseph Smith dictated his Book of Mormon to his scribe. This represents how such holy books, said to be the word of God and said to be dictated from the divine being himself, is none other than a product of a rambling man. A human being. I couldn’t help but giggle at the end of the film thinking...just how accurate was that dictation? It wouldn’t have been and who would know? Of course – we are talking about a post-apocalyptic society that has no other text to run it by (that’s because the Bible Eli carries throughout the film and ends up handing over to Carnegie is in fact in Brail...so yes another annoying plot hole which fails to really make any sense is the fact that the protagonist the whole time has been blind...but that’s another argument altogether). No one would be any wiser. The only consolation for me was that at the end the dictated version is printed (yes they have access to a printing press) and then placed on a bookshelf next to other religious texts such as the Koran and the Torah – all of which are locked up in a room in Alcatraz. Is this film trying to offer the notion that in the future this post-apocalyptic society that will grow, will be formed without the confines of religion and that religion will cease to exist, and that all holy books that exist will be regarded as fiction, next to other great works created by the likes of Shakespeare?...or...are these collected holy books going to be used in the future to gain mass control once again, as those who had lived in the “before time” (as they all call it in the film) have knowledge of their power and will seek to perpetuate its existence once again? Hmm...what is undeniable and paramount however, is that the film depicts how religion can be used to assemble people and make them conform. It shows how much of a source of control it is...no – a weapon.

I do like the idea of stories being set in a post-apocalyptic world and it interests me how many different versions or ideas spring up. Zombies out to eat Will Smith was an interesting version ("I am Legend"). Unfortunately, “The Book of Eli” is an unrealistic depiction of what it could be like following mass destruction. Why? Well a big give away for me was the suggested timeline following the fall-out was approximately 30 years...in my opinion there were way too many people running around following three decades of a war which ended with a catastrophic blast. Disease, nuclear radiation and hunger not to mention the very nature of humans in a war-torn, society-less scenario would wipe out the remaining population over three decades. If there is no infrastructure, no access to modern healthcare, no rules – then we humans are back in the dark ages and it is surprising how individuals who were once so civilized when given the test of self-preservation do revert back to being cavemen. At the end of the day it does turn into every man for themself. That’s why I like John Hillcoat’s film, “The Road” because it is a much more accurate and terrifying depiction of what happens to mankind following an apocalypse. After what is suggested to be thirteen to fourteen years after the apocalypse, the survivors have all but disintegrated into a dog-eat-dog mentality, where cannibals hunt for the vulnerable in packs and where there is absolutely nothing left. Any remnant of the modern world is destroyed. No electricity, no fuel, no food, no government, no leader – every man for themself, which really, is most likely to happen if the majority of the world is wiped out like they depict in their films, because when something destroys the very foundation of a country/society, annihilates its leaders and all the structures and foundations that man has created to keep society running of a civilised manner, what is left?

“The Road” and “The Book of Eli” both share the same setting however both present different themes. Whilst “The Road” focuses on despair and how hope is a product of what man makes of it – how the human spirit is what makes us so resilient especially when tested in such a bleak and demanding situation, “The Book of Eli” focuses on what destroyed mankind in the first place and how something so small like a book can be used to rally the masses to obtain ultimate control. It voices the very notion that when someone states that they have the word of God, who is to question that they don’t? Who is to question its origins because when you combine fear with an ideology and it can be an ideology so outrageously fictitious even the most rational person can see its farce, how many people will stand up and voice their doubt? When all around you the vulnerable and needy cling to some sort of semblance of hope it becomes a far more attractive option than to suffer the consequences of standing up and doubting. You'd have a better chance of surviving and not getting killed off for being de scenting. What better way to demonstrate this than in a post-apocalyptic society where everyone is vulnerable and everyone is needy...and everyone is searching for answers? If anything, I appreciated that theme more than I did the entire plot of the film as well as its outrageous action sequences and disgustingly nauseating ending.

Conclusively...I am glad I hired it out on DVD....at least I had the option to switch it off...

I was never the kid who rented books from the library to actually read them...

I have been an absolute book worm lately. I've been putting it down to not having to prepare for lectures anymore or do copious amounts of text book based reading and research. It was sort of like graduating from university was an emancipation from reading things that I didn't choose to read for myself, but had to. Since the heavy load of study has been lifted off my shoulders yes I do admit missing having deadlines to adhere to and having to learn something new that I otherwise would not have had the initiative to find out for myself - learning about Emmanuel Kant's ethical theories springs to mind, I would never have in my life even dreamed of picking up a book about that. 

So, suddenly faced without any obligatory readings and essays to complete I had a window of spare time in my day to fill. In hindsight this actually began after my final class and during exam period when I was really meant to be devoting every waking hour to study. In reality I only probably studied for about three hours of a day, every day leading up to my exam....okay that's a lie...try maybe two hours every second day and every other day an hour for a week up until my exam. So I had a massive gap albeit a gaping crevice of time to fill during the day which could not be entirely taken up by ballet training, running my kid sister to school and eating. I did have my teaching days where I had to go away and work of an evening and I did have the odd social meeting from time to time but there was a lot of hours in the day to consume. I will admit I began with television...but that was folly as I spent more time fighting for the remote control with my father who only wanted to watch British drama programs and D-grade thrillers on "13th Street" whereas I wanted to lose myself to a silly episode of "Family Guy" or "Seinfeld". So with that option out, I began an unhealthy obsession with a computer game my sister introduced me to (and I have never up until then been obsessed with computer games as I am useless at anything strategy based) - SIM's....yep....the virtual reality make-your-own-human-family-and-watch-them-age-and-die game. I was obsessed - devoting stupid amounts of time just playing and watching my creations either get sick, have babies or blow up the oven. I was there until 3am one session....six hours straight glued to the computer. I can now see why that Asian kid died after spending nearly two-days straight not eating or drinking and just playing World of Warcraft. It's insidious.  So as a last ditched attempt to regain some sort of control over myself and maybe appear to behave less like a teenager and more like an adult I went to the book store and bought two novels. 

Jane Austin

Within a week I had devoured one book and was onto the next. Sadly the second novel - an attempt to get back into the classics, as once upon a time I enjoyed reading Jane Austin, Victor Hugo and William Makepeace-Thackery, I tried ever so hard to get into "Wuthering Heights" but within six chapters I completely lost interest and stopped reading it. There are some books that I will just devour and love reading - literally will not put down and then there are other books, which I just can't seem to gain any sort of interest no matter how hard I try. I once read an entire book last year and got to the end still not understanding the plot and who exactly the protagonist was - that was "The Quiet Girl". I do not recommend that to anybody that wants a light read...I got so lost in the way it was written I barely had a chance to grasp what exactly was going on. 

So within the past 3-4 months of "freedom" I have read seven books and I'm onto my eighth. That's a record for me. I was never an avid reader as a child, nor was I ever considered a book worm growing up. I did pick up the odd novel from time to time but I never completed reading my first novel until I was thirteen - and that even was a prescribed text for school. I wasn't the type of kid to go to the library and walk out with a few books in tow and finish reading them by the end of the term. I had friends that were like that and I could never understand their hunger to read. It wasn't that I didn't care for books because I did enjoy reading but I had never found a story that consuming and that engaging that I'd hunger to read it when I was at school. I also had the small problem of being a slow reader (something I have found later to correlate with the material I'm reading - I read slower if I'm bored than if I'm truly excited by the material). I had never experienced that genuine "can't put it down" feeling until well later...try 18. I enjoyed reading the books I selected up until then but I was never obsessive or heavy with anticipation to get the story finished. Reading in some respects, was laborious. I treated it like an exercise. I chose to read books by Austin to further myself. I chose to read the entire "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" to better understand Peter Jackson's directorial triumph (yes sadly...I saw the films before I read the books - I can see Tolkien turning in his grave and reaching for the nearest maggot to fling at me). I read "Vanity Fair" after I saw snippets of the BBC series and I chose to read "Les Miserables" because I thought the film was just so awesome. 

Reading was never a recreational thing for me as a child or a teenager. It was a way to get myself to sleep if I was having trouble at night, it was a way to pass time before dinner time, it was a means to an end with school projects and it was just a mental exercise that I felt was the right thing to do. That all changed when I started choosing material that I actually wanted to read and was actually interested in reading. It happened by accident. One day when I was 14 I was at the airport and desperately needing something to pass the time in the plane I bought a biography about my favourite actress, Audrey Hepburn. It was a hard read because there were parts where I was disinterested but in general, I was quite consumed with finding out little tidbits about the former ballet dancer turned Hollywood super star. So started my interest in biographies. I love reading biographies - mostly about people that are in the arts. I have read about former-Royal Ballet dancer Deborah Bull in her Royal Ballet memoirs, I have read about heroin-addict ballerina superstar and former lover of Mikhail Baryshnikov - Gelsey Kirkland ("Dancing on my Grave" is one of my favourite books). I have read Li Cunxin's "Mao's Last Dancer", I've glimpsed into the extraordinary life of Margot Fonteyn and marvelled at the amazing struggles and triumphs of Rudolf Nureyev (albeit twice - as I read two separate biographies). I have even read about what Madonna really is like behind the scenes (and its not particularly nice - a more warts and all approach).

Apart from this almost unhealthy obsession with ballet dancers' lives I enjoy reading romances, dramas, comedies, some mystery but I do struggle to read anything military or action based. I struggled to get through "Apache" a novel that my father bought for my fiancé for Christmas a few years ago. It wasn't that the story was uninteresting - it was very exciting, but there was just so much military jargon that I found it difficult to navigate through. There was a glossary at the back but seriously - I am not one to jump between dictionary and glossary whilst reading a novel - to me it should be effortless. The novels I most enjoyed that I have read from the eight have been "Eat, Pray, Love" - which I now understand WHY this was a best-seller. It was not a usual pick for me and I am not one to enjoy reading about religious and spiritual enlightenment but I enjoyed hearing Elizabeth Gilbert's accounts of living in India, Bali and her over-indulgence in Italy. I have finally read something prior to seeing the film, as Julia Roberts' "Eat, Pray, Love" is due at the cinema's this week!! I did enjoy reading Mia Freedman's memoirs "Mama Mia" - Mia was the editor of the Australian Cosmopolitan and a television personality. The humorous spin she applied to some of the most traumatic and stressful times of her life was just hysterical but so enriching. I will never look at the concept of child birth the same way again...I highly recommend that one. On a more serious note, I thoroughly enjoyed Richard Dawkin's "The God Delusion". From time to time I will delve into the scientific and religion-based realm - mostly any text that will disrepute or challenge the foundations of religion.... and now, I am currently reading a $9 bargain from the book store - "The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton" by Catherine Alliott, which I am just loving. 

Lately I have been drawn to light-hearted novels and chick-reads (stories mostly women would love). I am enjoying this spurt. I hope it continues for many more years - however I'll have to start trawling through second hand book stores and discount outlets because this could become quite a pricey affair.


Here are a list of books I have enjoyed and recommend (they are not listed in any sort of order relegating to how much better one is from the other - they are all just good reads):


1.  "The God Delusion" (Richard Dawkins)
2. "Eat, Pray, Love" (Elizabeth Gilbert)
3. "Mama Mia" (Mia Freedman)
4. "Dancing on my Grave" (Gelsey Kirkland)
5. "The Lord of the Rings"- entire trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkein)
6. "God is not Great" (Christopher Hitchins)
7. "Dancing Away" (Deborah Bull)
8. "Vanity Fair" (William Makepeace-Thackery)
9. "Persuasion" (Jane Austin)
10. "The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton"(Catherine Alliott)
11. "The Silence of the Lambs" (Thomas Harris)
12. "Red Dragon" (Thomas Harris)

****

This weekend

Australia has woken up this Sunday morning to the first hung-parliament since the Second World War. It was said this election would be a very close one but I don't think it was anticipated that this would be the result. Of course, not all the votes have been counted yet as there are many more postal and early votes that need to be tallied, however it is already clear that with the Coalition holding 73 seats and Labor holding 72, that neither party will make it to 76 (which is the required amount to claim victory in Australian parliament) and that Australia will have a minority government. Despite the excitement which comes with holding one's breath as to see who will gain the majority, a few positives have already occurred over the past 14 hours of counting. Australia has its youngest MP on track to win the Queensland seat of Longman, Wyatt Roy (who is just 20 years of age.........). I find this to be quite an exciting development and am very excited to see where this "kid" will go with his career. Being three years his senior I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like in his shoes right now, because I know that when I was 20 my head was definitely not into politics and more into ballet and everything that just concerned me. Not only that, but he is a liberal - so it will be interesting to see what he does over the next few years. Another positive is that the liberals have also seen the victory of its first Indigenous candidate, Ken Wyatt. Nevertheless, over the coming days and possibly over the next week Australia will just have to sit and be patient until we see who will come out on top. It will be a very interesting week ahead, that's for sure.

Aside from the election buzz this weekend, Australia was also met with some extremely tragic news yesterday morning. We have now lost in total 20 soldiers to the war in Afghanistan. The two latest diggers to have lost their lives were both from Brisbane and were both on their first tour to Afghanistan. There are also two casualties that have been evacuated. Watching the announcement on TV yesterday morning I felt more saddened than ever before and my heart actually sank as the Defense Minister announced the sad news. I had always been concerned in the past when news came of another soldier killed, however yesterday, for some reason, I felt more upset than usual.  Those that know me personally would be aware that my heightened sense of awareness for what is happening in Afghanistan is due in part to someone very important to me, in my family. I believe our soldiers are doing an amazing job overseas and that their efforts should be better appreciated amongst civilians. They are a set of very incredible men and women, and I thank them for all they have done and all they are doing, and with the rest of the defense family, mourn our recent loss. 

*****

On a completely different note and something less sombre I have been tracking the developments of Casey Affleck's new film, "I'm still Here" which is hot in debate as to whether it is a legitimate documentary or a mockumentary. "I'm still Here" is a documentation of a year in the life of actor-turned-rap-star Joaquin Phoenix. Those that remember Pheonix's bizarre behavior in the past will be given some sort of resolution or some sort of explanation from this film. What is central to this film is identity and because of this theme a lot of industry commentators are guessing whether or not this is actually real. Those that have already seen the film through private screenings and previews say that it is so bizarre and in some scenes so confronting that it makes one wonder if it is in fact real as the behavior displayed by Phoenix is so far away from what everyone was used to.

Joaquin Phoenix gained an Oscar nomination for his roles in both "Walk the Line" and "Gladiator" - a very well respected actor of his time and someone who was very intense about his profession, it basically knocked the wind out of Hollywood and the world when he announced his retirement from acting to pursue, of all things, a career in hip hop. Everyone thought it was a joke however when Phoenix's behavior grew increasingly bizarre, not to mention a lack of regard for his personal appearance, the media began to tout whether or not Joaquin had finally lost it. At the time of his appearance on the David Letterman Show, where he famously dismissed all of David's questions and appeared to say the least, "out of it", I was convinced that this talented man had finally cracked and that maybe he did not recover from a recent drug binge. These past two years I have been under the assumption that this man has been on a never-ending drug binge and has not had the capacity to pull himself out of it. Now - after seeing the trailer for "I'm still Here" and reading a few articles as well as rumors that Joaquin has been spotted running around clean-shaven and behaving somewhat normal, it leads me to wonder whether or not for the past two years Joaquin has been playing the biggest role of his life - a parody of himself. He is a method actor who in the past has become so consumed in that role that he has literally become that role. That is what makes him so very good. Could "I'm still Here" be his joke on the public? Is this his way of displaying just how twisted the media is and just how much a perception of a person can govern everyone's opinion on them and their career - just how ridiculous the notion of "celebrity" is. Has Joaquin been fooling us all along? If so...he and Casey Affleck could may have well just pulled off one of the most elaborate hoaxes in American cinema. A 21st Century Andy Kauffman...? Otherwise the alternate view and most popular one is that yes in fact the hip hop career intentions are legitimate and yes, Joaquin has gone a little sideways and no it is all not a hoax. The optimist in me is hoping that this is not the case.

Finally!

I was incredibly excited today to find the official trailer for Darren Aronofsky's new film "Black Swan" released online and wow wow wow has it teased and peaked my interest only even further. If anything, I have been heavily anticipating the release of this film for almost a year now. Apart from the obvious attraction of ballet being a significant part of the film, the fact that this is a production coming from the man who brought us films such as "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Wrestler" only heightens my interest and further insights curiosity as to how the story will pan out. The basic synopsis that has been released is that the film is based upon two rival ballet dancers in the New York City Ballet vying for the duel-role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and how this somewhat healthy competition spirals out of control into something very dark and sinister. The trailer sets a very deep and foreboding atmosphere and clearly outlines that this will be a very heavy and serious film. (PS - You can find it on YouTube).

All I can say is - FINALLY! I have been exhausted to the point of nauseated by how many prissy "high-school-musical-esk" dance flicks have been churned out over the past ten years (most of them being very bad sequels). The supposed "remake" of the classic 80's hit "Fame" was a watered down version of its very provoking original and proved only to be a disappointment for those loyal to the 80's classic. It was almost a caricature of the original, stealing the format whilst introducing new characters that had back stories that were never resolved in the end and whose chemistry on screen was lack luster and bordering on condescending. Then there are the never ending reels of "Step Up" which whilst has been very successful at promoting the popular hip-hop dance style does nothing for introducing people on screen that can actually act and dance at the same time and does nothing to provide the public with any sort of thought provoking or engaging story. If you want to see a film about dancing but without any depth go see those films. However, if you would like to see a dance film that will challenge and engage you as well as provoke a sense of connection to the characters films such as Herbert Ross's Oscar winning "The Turning Pointe", "Flash Dance", the original "Fame" and the first "Center Stage" will not disappoint. 

What it boils down to is that the dance world is hungry for something serious, un-airbrushed, raw and gives a real down and dirty, gritty view of what dancing is actually like. It isn't all sparkles, tutus, pointe shoes and fake eye lashes. It is damned hard and only the strong-willed succeed. That is why I cannot wait to see Aronofsky's "Black Swan" because it will (hopefully) display the world of dance in a very different light. Even if it just shows its protagonist (played by Natalie Portman) struggling with her inner conflicts. It will be truly refreshing to see a psychological thriller set in the world of dance. 

Benjamine Millipead renowned choreographer set all the dance pieces in the film and also appears in the dance sequences. We will get to see the very talented Natalie Portman portray a ballet dancer (and reports that have circulated about her performance is that she has done as per usual an incredible job not just at playing the part but at also dancing). Mila Kunis will join her as her rival and we will also get a chance to see Winona Ryder on screen. "Black Swan" will be opening the Venice Film Festival on the 1st September and will be released in the US on December 1st. Let us hope it reaches Australia very soon after that!!!!

Inception

I am someone who cringes when reading a review that reveals key plot points of a film and so I have delivered today a review that leaves out pretty much majority of the plot so as not to spoil it for those that have not seen it yet. I did get to the cinema's albeit later than previously anticipated and was not disappointed. Inception is by far (for me) one of the best films I have seen this year. It was a journey that I cannot wait to take again when it is released on DVD. If you have not seen it yet - run to the theaters before it disappears. It is worth every cent.

~~~

Christopher Nolen never fails to deliver and with this recent masterpiece he has created the thinking-man’s/thinking-woman’s blockbuster. Inception does not disappoint. It is a clever film that has woven an intricate (and in some places rather complex) story with interesting characters and a protagonist so conflicted that one cannot help but be taken on this emotional journey that he undertakes as the plot unfolds. I will not lie but I had gone in to the film with already a strong bias that it would be good (simply from seeing the trailers, reading snippets of early reviews and because Leonardo DiCaprio is a damned fine actor), but my expectations were superseded by the fact that all the elements of the film - the actors, script, soundtrack, effects, cinematography and the director all combined to compliment each other in such a way that I would never had imagined, making this film much better than anticipated. With already high expectations there existed a high chance of disappointment or the feeling of the film having fallen short of one’s expectation, however in this case, not so. Without giving away the plot, I had gone to see the film prepared to use my brain because without concentration and keen interest many aspects of the film that I so appreciate now, might have been missed unless watched again at a later date. I know for a fact that when I do purchase the DVD and watch it again, that I will see many things that I had not noticed when I first saw it. That’s the beauty of films that challenge you, you are constantly forced to discover aspects that only seek to challenge your understanding and in some ways, to better it. What is so fantastic about Nolen’s latest release is the fact that the story makes the audience think and I do love a film that makes you really sit and engage.

Nolen chose an ensemble cast that was very strong. The film was marketed with Leonardo DiCaprio rightly carrying top billing however there were many actors that I had not known were attached to this project that when revealed upon seeing it, only strengthened the film’s appeal to me. I say this because if the public was told that Nolen’s new film had 2 Academy Award winners and a host of nominees in the cast it would have only served to direct the audience’s attention to the expectation that those award winners would carry the film, which was not in this case valid. For the film to be successful the ensemble cast had to be the perfect team and a team they were. Despite the fact that DiCaprio was the “drawing card” for audiences and that the film centred around his character’s emotional conflicts, the supporting cast around him made themselves equal to him. Ellen Page, last remembered as the pregnant teenager in Juno delivered a very subtle performance which only strengthened her presence in all her scenes she shared with DiCaprio. 3^rd Rock From the Sun child star Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the stand-out surprise delivering what I feel is the most genuine performance of his entire career and I hope to see him in more films in the future. Marion Cotillard was heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time, whilst Michael Cain provided that grounded balance in the few scenes he appeared. Ken Watanabe was a surprise for me as I had no idea that he was attached to the film until I saw him on screen and as usual was fantastic, domineering and in some ways foreboding and Cillian Murphy playing the pawn in the entire game was again, captivating and well suited to the role. What cannot be denied however is the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio delivered yet again, another crisp and flawless performance. He is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

 The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer was crafted so well to suit all the scenes and delivered a haunting element to the film. Zimmer has composed poignant music to films such as Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Dark Knight and Sherlock Holmes. Many individuals underestimate the importance of the film’s score as it creates an additional element to the overall experience of the film. It is that outer layer of the atmosphere of the film. Scores can make or break a film but in this case, Nolen chose a winner with Zimmer’s stunning compositions and haunting melodies.

This particular element has not been publicized as much as previous blockbusters of its genre which in a sense has been a blessing because the visual effects should only serve to compliment and highlight key areas of the story and not be the entire premise of the film (Avatar springs to mind). Thankfully it was not compared to The Matrix when it was marketed as the Wachowsky brother’s sci-fi adventure does not even figure to be in the same league – that being, Inception is a more matured and restrained representation of how visual effects can be used to serve a specific purpose in the film. The audience did not get lost in the “wow factor” of the effects thereby completely forgetting the whole point of the message that the film is trying to convey (2012, The Matrix Reloaded & The Matrix Revolutions springs to mind). There were many scenes which did make one gasp and there were many breathtaking moments which made one question how humans could be such a creative force and how anyone could even begin to conceptualise such an idea, but this element did not override the most important element of the film – which is its story. The balance was spot on.

Overall Inception challenges one to understand Nolen’s notion of dreams and how they function, it challenges the ideas, beliefs and perceptions of its characters and it delivers a journey that makes one hunger for the kind of resolution it offers. The ending inevitably, is something that has divided audiences and it is this kind of reception that only proves that Nolen’s goal to inspire, insight and to challenge through this film was achieved. It is a fantastical journey and a film that one could watch over and over again with the same keen interest that one had at the very beginning of one’s inception to see it.

SCORE: 9/10