Where the Wild Things Are

I love goal number 2 - it allows me to justify spending time chilling out and watching 90 minutes of pure beauty - also known as "Where the Wild Things Are". I didn't know a single thing about this film - hadn't even read Maurice Sendak's book, but just knew that the "monsters" looked a little bit cool and that I was in the mood for a whimsical movie to appeal to my inner child.

As it turned out I'm not sure what I would have made of the film if I'd watched it as a child - but as an adult I absolutely loved it. There was a Labyrinth-esque feel to it - a darkness, that really appealed to me. Max and Carol's journey through the film really is quite painful at times - their troubled natures and search for security aren't the stuff of your average kid flick. Visually it is a thing of beauty - the colours used are muted and just perfect, I loved the fact that the creatures mostly appeared to be actual costumes (Jim Henson Company's Creature Shop ftw), with CGI enhancement - not just CGI creations, and the scenery is stunning.

All in all I was completely captivated from start to finish by this beautiful film (directed by Spike Jonze by the way - how did I forget that?). My favourite part? Hands down - Bob and Terry. Genius.

My next film of the week has a lot to live up to :)

4 Simple Goals...the first post

So I've been reading Elsie Flannigan's blog A Beautiful Mess for about a year now - it's beautiful and ever-so-slightly inspirational.

Elsie recently posted the 4 simple goals idea and as I've been feeling for quite a while now that I need to make some positive changes in my life so decided to give it a go. So here goes with my 4 goals.....

1. Start a blog (and perhaps most important - maintain regular posts!)
So this first one is quite straight forward and volia! - 'tis done. Here is my blog. The world of blogdom is completely new to me and I'm not completely sure what I'm doing with it yet but it will most likely be a place for crafty musings/ posting of projects and for general ramblings. I'm hoping that in general it will just give me the kick up the backside I need to start writing again.

2. Watch one new film every week

This is the one I'm most looking forward to. I love films - all kinds of films but for the past few years seem to have slipped into the habit of hardly watching any. Or at least - I watch the same films lots of times. I think it's been a concentration issue - it's taken a lot to "grab" my interest, but that seems to be improving, and along with it my love of both films and books is returning - hurrah! So yes - fun goal for the rest of 2010 is to watch one new film each week and hopefully learn some stuff in the process.

3. Learn to crochet

 Image originally posted on Flickr by ♥ KawaiiCloud ♥

This has been on my mental "to do" list forever - in particular I'd love to be able to produce little Amigurumi creations. Nothing makes me squee more than some of the crochet creatures I've seen around the web, and I'd love to possess the skill to create them myself - oh, and to be able to cover every visible surface in the house with granny squares (oh yes, it's an inevitable result my friend).


4. Change my surname back to my maiden name
This is a bit of a random one - but yes, I totally need to do this. I've been wanting to do this for a long time but I think some kind of form-based terror has stopped me (seriously, is there such a thing as form-a-phobia?). I think this will be a hugely positive step and so by the time I see 2011 in I want my old surname back, thank you very much :)

So there we go - first blog post and my 4 goals for 2010. Hurrah! Now to go find my crochet hook......