The Golden Age of cinema is back!

(photo courtesy of Mart Basa)

This was originally posted on the Macleay Newsroom website. 

Calling all movie buffs: Surry Hills has an old and improved cinema.

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The Golden Age Cinema and Bar has just opened in Commonwealth Street, and it’s the most charming cinema you’ve seen. Tickets for its opening season of classics are selling out fast.

For all you drinkers out there, the 60-seat cinema caters to your needs. There’s a bar inside the cinema, which allows audiences to drink at their leisure. The choice of classic cocktails, highball drinks and a range of beers will leave you spoilt for choice.

The quaint theatre doesn’t serve your typical cinema ‘choc-top ice-cream and buttered popcorn’ foods. Viewers have a choice of cured meats, cheese plates and marinated mushrooms. Have no fear, sandwiches, sundaes and ‘cocktail popcorn’ will still be available to purchase.

Ticket prices vary as they’re based on how much admission would’ve been when the film was first released. The showing of Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (1933) sold out with tickets selling at 5 cents each! Yes, you read that correctly, 5 cents each.

Here are the top-five timeless films to watch:

1. Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
2. Poltergeist (1982)
3. The Breakfast Club (1985)
4. Mala Noche (1986)
5. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

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Is One Direction's 3D movie really worth your $22?

This was originally posted on the Macleay Newsroom website.

We review This is Us and here’s the verdict.

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To be brutally honest, no it’s not. It’s also not worth watching it in 3D (which is what bumped admission up to $22).

But despite the ridiculous ticket price, the doco has still nabbed the top spot in box office sales, according to this report.

In a nutshell:

The movie follows the biggest boy band – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson – around the world on their Take Me Home tour. Fans get an insight into their behind-the-scenes antics and life away from the One Direction phenomenon.

The good stuff:

As a One Direction fan, I thought the movie was great, just not worth all the cash. It definitely ticks all the boxes that makes it enjoyable to watch. It’s nice to see another side to the boys, like their funny banter and cheeky personalities that Directioners love.

The movie also provides screaming teenage girls (and their less-than-impressed boyfriends) with plenty of eye-candy – there are lots of shots of the guys shirtless – and a chance to sing along with the five lads and pretend they’re at a 1D concert. Being in 3D means you can reach out and lightly (or roughly, whatever floats your boat) stroke Harry’s dimpled cheeks. I have to hand it to the director Morgan Spurlock: the CGI concert snippets throughout the documentary are pretty cool.

The not-so good stuff:

It feels like a repeat of their 2012 TV movie, One Direction: A Year In The Making. Both documentaries show their life before X-Factor, their X-Factor journey and life after the reality show propelled them into the stratosphere.

When you compare this to Justin Bieber’s 3D documentary Never Say Never it doesn’t make the cut. While audiences walked into Bieber’s movie expecting just an hour-long concert movie, they walked out with new found respect for the superstar. That’s what This Is Us lacked – it didn’t give the audience a new perspective on the 1D boys.

The other major let down was the overpriced tickets and the fact that it didn’t need to be in 3D, which would save audience’s $4 on ticket price.

All in all, it was a fun documentary, but maybe wait until it’s on DVD.

Rating:

For the film: 7/10

For the price: 0/10

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This might be the greatest news ever!

This was originally posted on the Macleay Newsroom website. 

A spin-off to one of the most successful movie series is finally here.

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An extension of the wizarding world of Harry Potter has finally been announced by Warner Bros. Entertainment and it will be J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut.

The movie was inspired by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a textbook first year Hogwarts students were required to read. The book, set in New York 70 years before Harry was born, is about the adventures of fictional author Newt Scamander.

The movie will feature well-known faces and mystical creatures.

Warner Bros. Entertainment chief executive Kevin Tsujihara said, “We are incredibly honoured that [J. K. Rowling] has chosen to partner with us on this exciting new exploration of the world of wizardry which has been tremendously successful.

“We know that audiences will be as excited as we are to see what her brilliant and boundless imagination conjures up for us.”

Well, yeah we are!

Here’s hoping that the Golden Trio apparate themselves into a cameo!

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New state of mind!

First week of my internship is over and it has reignited my love for journalism and writing.

For months, my college marks have really had me questioning my ability and had me questioning whether journalism really was what I wanted to do. But after this week, I can happily say that journalism and writing is what I was born to do and I am more determined than ever to make this dream of mine a reality.

To finally have articles I have written be published in a newspaper and to have working journalists commend me for my writing and praise my skills is exactly the motivation I have been looking for. 

Feeling absolutely great and ready to start the new semester of college with a new attitude and not let my marks get the better of me and my dream. 

xx

World Press Photo Exhibition 2013

First of all, let me apologise for abandoning my blog for awhile. I've had a lot going on lately, college has been pretty tense and Ramadan has started, so I've been out of the house quite a lot. But I'm back :)

This was originally posted on the Macleay Newsroom website.  

The first World Press Photo contest was held in 1955, after members of the Dutch photojournalists’ union had the idea of creating an international competition to complement a national one. Nearly every year since then, iconic photographs taken by photojournalists from all around the world, are exhibited globally.

The 56^th annual exhibition, held at Sydney’s State Library, with 154 photographs on display, chosen from over 100, 000 images that were entered. Comment on an array of current issues. Ranging from the harsh realities of war, natural disasters, same sex couples in Vietnam, posed portraits of natural born deformities, to the simplistic beauty of animals.

“The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide,” says World Press Photo media coordinator, Barbara Bufkens. “Its aim is to generate wide public interest in and appreciation for the work of photographers and other visual journalists.”

Observers describe 2013’s World Press Photo of the year (inset), “Gaza Burial” shot by Paul Hansen, as “confronting” and felt “a great amount of sorrow.”

The collection of war images hit a nerve with onlookers, detailing them as “horrific and emotionally distressing.”

“With around 100 local exhibitions that attract around 3.5 million visitors, each year, the exhibition tour of prize-winning photographs is one of the most popular traveling photo events in the world.” Bufkens claims. “The World Press Photo of the Year, is awarded for the single photograph that is not only the photojournalistic encapsulation of the year, but represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity.”

Viewers shared their thoughts on the overall exhibition:

The World Press Photo Exhibition is on until the 28th July, 2013. At Sydney's State Library, entry is free. 

House of Hits: The Wanted

Hello my darlings, something I don't think I've mentioned yet, is that British/Irish boy band The Wanted are my entire life. Anyone I've ever come into contact with would know that those boys mean the absolute world to me, and I was privileged enough to win a competition to see the boys at the The Bump's House of Hits in Sydney.

Let's rewind to Friday, 10th May, 2013 at around 2:30pm. I was just about to get off the train and I got a phone call from the host of The Bump, Angus O'Loughlan. Here's the beginning of our conversation that wasn't aired:

Angus: Heba, I have some bad news for you.

Me: Are you serious?

Angus: Yes, I'm so sorry. 

Me: Please don't tell me, oh my god.

Angus: It's just that so many girls entered and used the hashtag. I just wanted to call you and tell you personally you weren't successful.

Me: Oh my god are you kidding? No, oh my god, what.

Listen to our conversation that aired, little did I know I had two amazing surprises waiting for me.

On Wednesday, 15th May, me and 9 other fans had the opportunity to watch The Wanted perform two acoustic songs and we were supposed to hang out with the boys for about an hour in the green room. As per usual, the boys were running late and we had run out of time and weren't able to hang out. Although we still had a great time. 

Let's recap the best night of my life. 

Jay McGuiness, as everyone should know, is the absolute love of my life and when he walked in, he recognised me and he had the biggest smile on his face. As he walked past me, he grabbed my hand and held it as he walked (kjndksbekubcbekje). While the boys were getting into position, I was whispering to Jay to get his attention. "Jay, Jay...Jaaaaaaay" then Siva looked at me and said "no need to whisper" and Jay looked at me and smiled, I asked for a hug then he whispered "okay sure, right now?" "YES!" "okay, come here." So I walked up to him and got an amazing hug off Jay. While hugging he said "aw you're so little." I accidentally got some red lipstick on his hoodie, "oh Jay, I'm sorry, I got lipstick on your hoodie" and he replied saying "oh it's fine, memories!"

Then I had a bit of banter with Siva and after the boys performed. We kind of swarmed the boys and Max looked at me and said "Hello gorgeous" in that beautiful Manchester accent, gave me a kiss on the cheek and a great hug. I got another hug off Jay and this time he kissed me on the cheek as well and he said "I'm going to call you The Little One, you're so little, you could replace Nathan." 

As I was walking up to the boys to get a photo, both Jay and Seev screamed out "IT'S THE LITTLE ONE" and it made me so beyond happy. As we were leaving, I waved goodbye to the boys and Siva said "goodbye Little One" and waved like a little cutie. 

Here's my photo with The Wanted :)

While waiting outside the studio to be picked up, we saw the boys come out in their pitch black van and we waved to them and Siva turned the light on and blew us kisses like an absolute babe. Then they stopped at a red light and we ran up to them and waved and blew kisses some more then they drove off into the sunset and Jay proposed to me. LOL kidding, that last bit didn't actually happen, but they did drive off and that was the end of it. 

I left a lot out because I would have been sitting here writing this for days, but it was amazing and those boys are absolute perfection. They mean the entire world to me and I wouldn't ever trade this experience for anything in the world. 

Watch their acoustic performances here:

Film Review: The First Time

I know it's been awhile since my last post, I'm sorry. Been so busy with college and I've also had no idea what to write about; but I'm here now, with a new film review. 

(photo courtesy of aceshowbiz)

If you have tumblr, you have more than likely seen this gif show up on your dashboard once or twice. Yes? Well this is the film it's from. 

(gif courtesy of dylanobriendaily)

I don't know, am I the only one who thinks it's sort of an awkward jump? Anyway. 

The main character Dave (Dylan O'Brien) is a high school senior who is graduating soon, who thinks he is in love with his best friend Jane (Victoria Justice). Obviously Jane doesn't exactly feel the same way...or maybe she does and he just doesn't know it? Dave meets Aubrey (Britt Robertson) in a dark alley way during a party. Aubrey is a high school junior who attends a different school. She also has a boyfriend who doesn't understand her. They have a "casual" conversation and it instantly ignites a spark. Even a blind person could see the great chemistry these two share. Over the course of the weekend they find out what it's like to fall in love, for the first time.

Okay the synopsis of the film doesn't sound all that great, but I promise you, it's a good movie. It doesn't really have an ulterior subliminal message that truly connects with the audience, but it's all about falling in love for the first time. Who doesn't want to watch a movie about love?

I'll admit it's a bit of a cliché but it's the good cliché. Dylan O'Brien is so damn cute and sweet and beautiful, I just want to hug him for all of eternity. This movie only heightened the love I had for him, since Teen Wolf (hello Stiles!). 

I don't know about many of you, but I personally felt like I could connect with Aubrey, as a person. She has these great aspirations and wants to travel and be free and be who she truly wants to be. That's the Aubrey I connect with. 

They're quite awkward around each other and you can't help but fall in love with them and want them to be together forever. Dave is just so, so perfect, it makes my heart physically hurt. 

You know that chemistry I was talking about earlier? Yeah well, they're chemistry was so great that Dylan O'Brien and Britt Robertson actually started dating in real life! I know right, unfair. Where's my Dylan O'Brien?!

If you're like me and you're an absolute sucker for chick flicks that involves a gorgeous boy you can never ever have, a beautiful girl you can never ever look like and love you will probably never ever feel, then this movie is for you. If you don't, then stay away from this movie, you won't like it much. Or do watch it, you might change your mind. 

All I can tell you what this film left me with, is a new name to add to my list of celebrity husbands. Where can I sign up to get my own Dylan O'Brien? 

I shall now leave you with these gifs, good day to you sir. 

 Maybe Dylan's beautiful face will help convince you to watch it. 

(gifs courtesy of strawberrydarling and l4st-f1rst-kiss)

Here, watch the trailer. Enjoy

Film Review: Chatroom

(movie poster courtesy of digital spy)

If some of you have tumblr, you have more than likely seen these gifs pop up on your dashboard every so often but don't know what they're from. Well they're from this film. 

(gifs courtesy of depressed-daydreamerr, jimestmort, another-clone)

Chatroom follows five British teenagers:

• William (Aaron Johnson), a depressed teen, recovering from self-harm
• Jim (Michael Beard), also a depressed teenager
• Eva (Imogen Poots), a model who's having an identity crisis
• Emily (Hannah Murray), every parents dream child but longs for more love and attention from her parents
• Mo (Daniel Kaluuya), ashamed that he may be a pedophile because he fancies his best friend's eleven-year old sister

They all meet on an online chatroom (duh), the teens keep in contact through online messaging and text but the film has them shown in a "hotel-like room", for a metaphorical sense. Throughout the film, each of their individual lives is shown coinciding with their online chats. Which will probably confuse you as you're watching, but you soon get the hang of deciphering which is reality and which are the online conversations. 

As the film progresses, you start to see the creator of the "Chelsea Teens!" chatroom, William, become more menacing, deceiving and just plain psychotic. 

William manipulates each of the teens, which in their minds, think its going to help them. He teams up with Eva who helps convince Emily into doing mildly violent things to bring her closer to her parents. He encourages Mo to tell his best friend that he is attracted to his sister, potentially ruins the career of one of Eva's co-workers and convinces Jim to stop taking anti-depressants. 

William has another chatroom (the safe room) that convinces individuals to take their own life and gleefully watches on as each victim records their suicide. Jim (the one in the gifs above and directly below) is William's next target. As you watch William fill Jim's head with suicidal thoughts and mentally scarring statements, the film gets more and more intense. 

(gifs courtesy of monsterdemon777, depressed-daydreamerr, jimestmort)

You can't help but sit on the edge of your seat the entire duration, this film is utterly thrilling. Aaron Johnson's portrayal of William is absolutely amazing and I personally think its Aaron's best work. Michael Beard as Jim is just plain phenomenal, the emotional pain he feels is so veraciously believable, it had me in tears. 

 (gifs courtesy of unicorns-and-shit, colourful-pyromaniac, necdeusnecdiabolus)

Definitely one of the most powerful and bone-chilling films I've seen since "Suicide Room" (now that is a brilliant film). I wholly recommend you watch this film, genuinely astonishing. 

Court reporting

Now I know I've neglected my blog a little, I apologise, but I'm here now, so hooray!

Some of you may know, as I have mentioned it in my first post, that I am a journalism student; and on Friday I went to my first ever court reporting job. It wasn't exactly a job but it was for a college assessment, I guess it falls into the same category. 

I sat in on three very different court cases and it's safe to say, I left that court feeling brilliant. I'm not too sure if I can say exactly what the cases were, but the first was a drug case and I was well excited to report on it. 

I sat at the front with my cute notebook and pen, ready to write down all the heavy things that going to go on. Only to be left extremely confused and mildly disappointed ten-fifteen minutes later as the man was granted bail and they scheduled another hearing...um?

My friends and I left during the second case, as we had absolutely no clue as to what the heck was going on. All we know is that the Accused was very agitated and seemed nervous. Can't really make a story out of that. 

Now the third case was really something. I don't think I can post my report, but I will say this, it was one of the most intense situations I have ever experienced...ever!

A drunk driver ran a red light and collided with another car, instantly killing the driver of the other vehicle. 

You watch these things in movies and TV shows, you read about these kind of tragedies in the newspaper and hear about them on the news, but to actually sit there, in a court room, with a judge and see the Accused crying and the victim's family trying so hard to keep it together and just want some justice to be done, is a whole different playing field. 

The experience literally put a lot of things in perspective for me, emotionally especially. All I could think about was "how are her family going to cope with her loss?", "how is this man going to continue on with his life, with full knowledge that he's taken a mother away from her children, taken a wife away from her husband as a result from his own stupidity?". 

It was a profoundly straight forward case, everyone in the room knew where his sentencing was going. It was confronting, to say the least. I did actually shed a few tears. 

I'm not too sure about anyone else, but after I walked out of that court room, I felt the most absolute sympathy for the victim's family,  sad for the Accused as anyone could see how guilty he felt for what he did, happy that I could make a fairly decent report and much more appreciative of the time I have with my mother. 

Definitely one of the best experiences of my life, I think its safe to say I gained a lot of insight into a lot of diverse situations. Downing Centre Court is an open court, meaning anyone can watch any case, unless its a closed case, then its out of bounds. I recommend everyone to sit and watch a court case unfold, at least once. It's definitely informative and you might even gain a new love for law. 

xx

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

Yes, another John Green book review, I can't help myself. He's just too brilliant.

If you have read my previous book review of "Looking For Alaska", you would be aware of the fact that I mentioned you would cry your eyes out while reading. Now if you compare the tears shed for both novels. The tears I cried for "Looking For Alaska" were a drizzle compared to the tsunami I sobbed for "The Fault In Our Stars".

"The Fault In Our Stars" is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, sixteen year-old Thyroid cancer patient. Her parents force her to attend a Support Group and it's at the "literal heart of Jesus" that she meets the young and incredibly attractive seventeen year-old Augustus "Gus" Waters. Who is in remission from Osteosarcoma. From their first interaction, it is clear to the reader that there is a distinct attraction between the two.

They exchange favourite books and Hazel tells him about her most cherished novel "An Imperial Affliction" written by Peter van Houten (which is completely fictional by the way). Its with the mutual love and frustration towards the story that deepens their friendship.

Throughout the novel, Hazel and Augustus' relationship blossoms into more than just an infatuation, but Hazel is afraid of what will happen to Gus' state of mind if she were to pass away, so she tries to convince him to not get too close...and fails. 

Even though Hazel requires 24-hour oxygen and Augustus has a prosthetic leg, living with the fact that at any given time, his cancer could come back; things seem to be perfect between them both. 

At around this part of the book, your eyes start pooling with tears and from here on in, the tears do not stop. No matter how hard you try, they don't stop falling, by the end of the novel, you've flooded the earth. 

Now I'm not going to continue with the synopsis/overview of the novel, as no matter how I word it, it will ruin it for you.

Now I know most people get turned off from reading books about cancer patients because its so overused, but TFIOS is anything but cliche. Its very wittingly written and will definitely make you laugh...and cry. 

By the time you read the last sentence in "The Fault In Our Stars", you will have a whole new appreciation for life. I can not express my love for this novel enough, it is utterly brilliant and if you thought "Looking For Alaska" had some great one-liners, you should read the one-liners in TFIOS, ingenious!

By the time you've finished, your heart will have been ripped out of your chest, torn into shreds, stomped on, spat on and disregarded in the gutter, by John Green himself. 

"The Fault In Our Stars" oozes with philosophical symbolism and metaphors, its most definitely a profoundly written, beautiful tragedy. 

If any of you weren't already aware, there is going to be a film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller and on the 19th March, it was announced that Shailene Woodley will be playing Hazel Grace. Avid readers are hopeful that Joshua Brand will be given the role of Augustus Waters, but only time will tell! And I am well excited.

I also found this picture on tumblr, clearly inspired by "The Fault In Our Stars" and thought some of you might appreciate it. Now I wish I can say that I made this, because its so brilliant, but I didn't; so all credit for this beauty goes to nerdfighterz 

"Man obsessed with being a mermaid"

So during my News Research tutorial today I came across this news article; and quite frankly, I am genuinely in awe. 

Eric Ducharme is so obsessed with mermaids that he's practically become one. In the video you see him swimming majestically with his personalised fish tail, and I think I can say this on behalf of most of the female species; I am downright jealous. 

I have to admit though, when I first read the headline, I thought it was completely bizarre, then I was just utterly intrigued. He's even trained himself to hold his breath for up to four minutes under water. How brilliant is that?!

And I must say, all those fish tails that he owns are gorgeous, where can I sign up to be a mermaid?

Watch the video below.