Gone Baby Gone
by An intelligently told, morally complex tale with a raft of unexpected twists, Gone Baby Gone is one of the most original films of recent times. Most films give you a sense of their narrative arc and it is easy to recognise the major plot points. Mainstream fare actually plays on these devices so audiences feel comfortable – romantic comedies being the typical example of formulaic filmmaking to satisfy an audience not wanting to be surprised. Gone Baby Gone is the opposite, made clear from the beginning as the frame is filled with fat, ugly, real people. The plot, razor-sharp dialogue and brilliant performances then together demand so much attention that you forget about searching for the twists, so when they come, they hit twice as hard. It is dissociative storytelling at its best, and it is wonderful to be watching a film dying to find out what is going to happen next and having no idea what it might be. Ben Affleck might not be able to act, but there is now no doubt that he can both write and direct brilliantly.
Also by XAVIER TOBY
Australian movie A Few Best Men
With all the gross out jokes and silliness of the common comedy romp, you’d think making them would be easy. Well, it’s not. It’s actually really difficult. Writing a joke is one of the hardest tasks anyone can undertake. Read more
Melancholia: a film by Lars von Trier
I wish there were a lot more of the types of films made by Lars von Trier. Each is very different but still distinctly von Trier, and each is superb. Melancholia is the follow up to the wonderfully confronting Antichrist. This is all about the end of the world, and told with an honesty and pacing that is probably much closer to the actual end of the world than all the Hollywood crap would have you believe. Read more
We Need To Talk About Kevin: based on Lionel Shriver’s novel
A delightful uncomfortable film, told from the point of view of a broken woman. Kevin’s just not right, and that’s obvious from the outset as mother Eva battles to bring him up in a world where the onus is put squarely back on the mother. The intensity is poured on throughout, as tragedy seems imminent. Read more
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Exovault is a small artist-run company. The aluminum EXOvault case is lightweight and durable, and fits the iPhone 3G or 3GS like a glove. The EXOvault case is machined from solid metal stock in two pieces. Your iPhone will not rattle around or move within the case. And the case will not scratch your iPhone. Handmade in Brooklyn.
These outrageously oversized Jumbo StickIt squares are 36 times larger than the standard sticky post-it note size we’re use to, ensuring your messages receive the attention they deserve. If your messages are constantly being ignored, perhaps it’s the message delivery device that’s the problem. Read more
God save the Queen. Oh, and Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook too. Read more
Formed in New York and now based in Rotterdam and Berlin, SMAQ is a collaborative studio for architecture and urbanism by architects Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau. Here they have created an interesting installation called Bad (bath) in the Solitude Palace Gardens in Stuttgart with the premise of creating a usable sculpture which entwines a 1000 metre long garden hose throughout a timber structure. Read more
For the obsessive compulsive among us, Things Organized Neatly is a daily fix of stuff that’s arranged in perfect right angles and tantalizing patterns Read more
It’s pretty bold to release a 25 track double CD as your first album, but singer-songwriter Benji Hughes doesn’t care. Themes of love and heartbreak run though the album and his folk-tinged pop draws comparisons to Beck, The Eels and The Magnetic Fields. [portrait by Vanessa Prager]
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To be honest, I can’t bring myself to care about the new TSA scanners in airports. It’s not like they can’t already see and know everything about you already. However, I love these garments with the 4th Amendment printed on them in metallic ink so that the text show up clearly on scanners.
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A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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Mathematics? Leave me out. Fashematics? Now you’re talking! This gem of a site is a runway equation that adds up to a whole lot of wonderful.
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Here are a couple awesome pieces by Matt Leines that were recently on display in the Doubting Thomases exhibit at Nudashank gallery in Baltimore. Gives me ideas for Halloween. Read more
Nerd-attack! Man, this TARDIS zipper robe is so much cooler than any Star Wars crap people are hawking this days. This is for the true gangsta nerd.
Illustrating the playful side of sexy, Donna Wilson uses burlesque and 60s pop art as inspiration for her original art cards. Read more
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