Movies to Watch: Part 3

The Cold Light of Day (USA: 06/04)



While I’m not usually mad about Bruce Willis’ typical crime solving movies this one looks like fun. However what puts it in my “very excited about” list is Henry Cavill, this time with an American accent. This will be the first time I see him so that as well as the first time in a more modern action role. Both of which he will be taking on again for Superman next year. I’m excited to see how he pulls it off and well I’ll pretty much see anything with him in it.

The Hunger Games (SA: 13/04)



This is supposed to be the new Twilight, but I think it looks a lot better. Although there is romance that’s not the main focus. There’s adventure, sacrifice and seeing what a person can put themselves through. I have not yet read the book as I haven’t yet decided if I should read them before or after seeing the movie but I don’t have a lot of time to make up my mind.

Young Adult (SA: 13/04)



I’m not usually the biggest Charlize fan but this actually looks hilarious. A divorced, alcoholic writer tries to steal back her married, high school boyfriend. Plus it’s written by Diablo Cody which means I will love it, yes I loved Jennifer’s Body too. I think it looks really entertaining but at the same time has something really important to say.

The Cabin in the Woods (USA 13/04)



So I’m not very good with horrors/ thrillers/ anything slightly scary, I’m trying to work on it, but this doesn’t look like anything typical to that genre. Instead of being something supernatural or someone crazy, it’s just people being evil and indulging their desire to see others suffer, it may be a bit similar to Saw just less gruesome, hopefully. I remember reading about this movie when Dollhouse was still on the air and it has been stuck in post-production hell since then but now I finally get to see another bit of Joss Whedon awesomeness.

The Five Year Engagement (USA: 27/04)



At first this seems like just your typical rom-com with the cast being the main attraction but I won’t lie, the trailer kind off made me fall in love with this movie. I know this is something to be wary off, so I do take trailers with a pinch of salt but I still like this one. It just seems to be a lot more real that a lot of movies are these days and I’m interested to see if it can live up to expectations.

The Avengers (SA: 27/04)



It’s a Joss Whedon movie again and not for the last time on this list. I’m a bit of a superhero nut so you give me a movie with a whole lot of them and I start drooling just a little bit. This movie has been hyped up since the first Iron Man movie and most of these specific characters have already been seen in a movie before. The exceptions are Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. I think that’s my biggest stress point is that this is a character that has been played by three different men in three different movies and in my opinion a superhero movies success is due primarily to how well it is cast.

European Experience: Part 5

Munich was just a one night stay so our time to explore the city was very limited. Renée I decided to head to the local market first where we shared a pretzel and some beer, our first proper German experience. With our stomachs full we decided to climb a church tower that our tour leader had told us was 50 stairs. We counted on the way back down, it was 300. Turns out we went to the wrong church. As hellish as it was climbing all those stairs the view from the top was beautiful and we could see the entire city.



The group all met back in the main square in time to watch the Glockenspiel. Although it was interesting to see this thing I’d always heard about it went on for a really long time and there really wasn’t that much to it. Upon arrival at the youth hostel where we were to be spending the night we were warned that the lock mechanisms on the door were a bit tricky. That was an understatement. I was rooming with Renée and Stacey and thankfully Stacey figured out how to open the door otherwise we would’ve been really stuck. That night we were off to a German beer hall for dinner and what an experience that was. An amazing dinner and a litre of beer made my tummy very happy. We were there with two other contiki groups which really made it a party.



We ended dinner quite early, or at least it felt early because the sun set so late there. On our way back to the hostel we had another party bus and it was a lot more rowdy than the last although we were learning how to be a bit more careful about it. There was a club in the basement of the hostel which was nice because then we didn’t have to worry about transport but we didn’t really get to party with any of the locals. Being just amongst contiki people gave us the opportunity to practice some dance steps we had learnt in Austria, which I hate to admit I have forgotten. Unfortunately the door mechanism doesn’t get easier the more you drink and so I had to sit in the passage outside my room for a few minutes until Stacey came up to open the door.
It wasn’t the latest night on tour but it was definitely the earliest wake up. Add to that the horrible breakfast and Munich was not my favourite accommodation on the tour. Did I mention there was only one tiny lift so we had to climb flights of stairs with our luggage? However it was just one night and we were off on another adventure.

On our way to Switzerland we stopped off in the tiny country of Lichtenstein. We were told to get our passports out as if you wanted you could pay to get the country’s stamp to show you had been there. We were given some time to explore and eat lunch. However the minute we found a restaurant with free wifi the exploring fell to the wayside and lunch was spent trying on our phones.
Next it was off to Lucerne before heading to our stop for the night. When we arrived it was absolutely pouring with rain and while some brave folks elected to get off the bus to go to the lion statue I decided to stay dry. When everyone was back on the bus and the rain had abated for a bit we walked into town across the iconic wooden chapel bridge.



We were taken to some curio shops and given some time to walk around and buy stuff for the “Swiss” theme party the following night. Arriving at our stay over we realised it was also another small mountain town like in Austria. This may seem boring to some people but I was so exhausted and feeling so sick that I needed a really early night and this was the perfect place to do so. Our room was right next to the restaurant where everyone was having drinks and it took serious willpower to not go in there and join them giving in to the FOMO.
The next day was another chilled one as the tour option for the day was go up into the mountain. I elected not to do this as it was cold and expensive. Looking back this was probably my worst days on tour but I don’t think going up the mountain would’ve made it any better. I was so sick that day I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was struggling to breathe and couldn’t stop sneezing, it was horrible. We missed breakfast that morning and so the minute the restaurant opened we went there to get what we were told were the best meat pies. No jokes, they were amazing, although having seen Sweeney Todd I kept wondering what was really in them.
Afterwards some of the others decided to take a walk to the waterfalls and while I would’ve loved to I wasn’t feeling up to it and so decided to stay home and do some washing. Now this was not the first time doing washing in my life, or even on tour, but I really screwed it up. I was using liquid soap this time instead of powder and put way too much in. When I came back to get my washing the whole place was full of soap. The scene belonged in a movie. Me emptying out the bin to fill it with water and rinse down the floor before anyone had seen what I had done. Thankfully it was an outdoor facility otherwise who knows what would’ve happened. I had to put my clothes in for another wash in order to get all the soap off but thankfully I didn’t ruin any of them, I would’ve been so upset. When the others got back we decided to go exploring the little village next door the campsite. It was this literally just the buildings that were on the main road and maybe a few back and it ran right through the mountain valley. It was very pretty.



I finally managed to find a post office to send off some of the postcards I’d written up on the tour so far. It was then that I experienced the best part of my day. We walked into a little coffee shop and there on the menu was Rooibos. Never have I been so glad to see that in my life. Being with a bunch of Aussies they didn’t really understand what I was so excited about so I had to explain how it was a tea from back home and it was the best thing in the world when you are feeling sick. That cup of Rooibos tea really turned my day around.
Before we headed of the party that night, the group that I’d been mainly hanging around with and I all gathered in the boys’ room as it was Brad’s birthday and we needed to finish off our bottle of Absinthe. No easier the second time round. Especially since we’d found some cheap wine to buy and had already been drinking a bit of that. We headed off to the party with the other contiki groups all in our varied red and white clothing. Another underground club but this one was quite small and stuffy and so we kept coming up for air. Eventually we decided to walk into town to this little pub we’d seen earlier. As it turned out the upstairs was almost a club and even though we were the only people there besides the barladies it was quite a vibe. We got to request as many songs as we liked and just had a really awesome night to end off a not so great day.

Luckily the next morning wasn’t too early and so we got to sleep in a bit, relative to other days. We were heading off to another country again. We stopped in Heidelberg for lunch and as it shares the same name as a South African town some of the other Saffas decided to teach the Aussies to speak a bit of Afrikaans. This pretty much immediately went to rude words, which considering we would soon be in Amsterdam where the language is a bit similar wasn’t the greatest idea. Luckily their pronunciation was so bad no one would be able to understand what they were saying anyway.
That night we were staying in the Rhine Valley but on the way we stopped off for dinner and wine tasting. I had eventually given in and decided to take an antibiotic that morning and so just took a sip of each type of wine and then gave the rest to Danny to drink. We were given the wine in cute little shot glasses that they thankfully let us take home otherwise I would’ve had to steal it.



We were also given a talk about the making of steins and I decided to buy a boot as a souvenir, possibly y strangest buy yet. There was no party that night and we were staying in the strangest places ever. It was a like a bed and breakfast I could imagine staying in in some backwards town in the middle of the Freestate. As we were getting ready for bed Renée and I put the TV on only to discover there were no English channels. We had fun watching an episode of CSI in German and I still managed to guess who the murderer was. It was nice to get another early night especially as the next day we were moving on to Holland.

Movies to Watch: Part 2

Friends With Kids (USA: 09/03)



This looks like a rom-com with a difference. The cast is made up of a lot of the Bridesmaids crew, with Chris O’Dowd sporting an American accent. It also stars the writer Jennifer Westfeldt as part of the main couple with Adam Scott. The premise is that two friends both want kids but realise that they may never get to have if they keep looking for the right partner. So they decide to have a child together but not a relationship. Everything seems to be going fine until they start dating other people. I can only guess that they are going to end up together but the path there looks unique and fun for us to watch.

Detachment (USA: 16/03)



It has Adrien Brody in it, which is the only reason I need but there are some other factors. It’s a movie about teachers, which as a possible career choice for me, I find interesting. It is also about connections and how they are made and why they are made with specific people. This is a movie that appeals to me as it deals with all the sort of things I like but I’m not sure it is something everyone will enjoy.

Jeff Who Lives at Home (USA: 16/03)



As so often happens, it is the cast that draws me into the movie but the actual plot that really gets me interested. It looks slightly wacky but that’s what I love. It’s another movie that looks at relationships but this time it’s the relationship between families. The other story is that of Destiny and the idea that everything happens for a reason. I love this sort of movie and I have been waiting almost two years for this to come out and with no South African release date set I may have to wait a little longer.

21 Jump Street (USA: 16/03)



A remake of the TV series that put Johnny Depp in the spot light, with a possible cameo from him, I’m definitely going to see this. It stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, not the only time he is appearing on this list. The trailer is quite funny but these days you have to be very careful with that as sometimes all the best bits are in the trailer. However I think it looks like a good bit of fun that most of us can enjoy.

Jack the Giant Killer (USA: 22/03)



Modern twists on fairytales are very much the in thing right now, almost as popular as comic book adaptations. This is the modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk. As so often happens in these remakes it is a lot darker than the original. This time adding a damsel in distress, the princess that Jack (Nicholas Hoult) needs to rescue. As it’s a fairytale that I haven’t seen adapted before I’m very keen to see how they do it.

European Experience: Part 4

Arriving in Venice felt a bit surreal, firstly because it felt like ages since we had experience below 30°C. As we were driving into the campsite we could see a waterway right next to us with a few boats docked. Where we camped was still on the mainland and not on the actual island of Venice. When we arrived there we were told that there was a more chilled bar next to the restaurant area where that night’s party was due to happen. The parties usually are for groups that are there on their second night as they have had the day to buy stuff in the city. The theme that night was masquerade and since none of us were really dressed to theme we decided just to pop in for a quick drink, yeah right. Thankfully I had the sense not to go too big and got to bed just after midnight but it still wasn’t the chilled night we were hoping for.
In order to get onto the main island the next morning we had to take a ferry in and it kind of gives you an idea of what you are into. Venice was spectacular, so interesting and different. Those of us who had chosen to do the walking tour had such a wonderful guide. She was fun and gave us all the interesting facts as well as the normal historical facts. It may just be that Venice lent itself to that type of tour because it is so unique. After the tour it was just a quick run to the pharmacy, nose spray this time, it was an afternoon to explore by ourselves. We got lost so many times but Venice has three major spots in the city and you can always find a sign post to one of them and so it was very easy to find our way again. Although a little bit of sight seeing is done this time was mainly used for shopping. There really were so many beautiful things t buy that I had to limit myself. We also had to try to find things for the “Nautical” themed party that night. The best thing I bought was the Gelato. I bought lemon gelato in every Italian city and Venice was definitely the best. Later in the day we all met up for our gondola. We were 6 to a boat with 2 bottles of wine between us. We went around the canals with our gondolier on his phone the whole time, how the times have changed. As he took us around we sang and waved to all the other people we saw. It was so much fun and time just flew.



That night’s party everyone had some form of blue and white stripe or sailor hat and there was a lot of drinking. However before we even got there, a group of us gathered in one room to drink some of the Absinthe we had bought in Rome. First time drinking it and I didn’t think it was too bad but I couldn’t drink anything but water for a while afterwards without feeling a bit sick. The funniest part was seeing everyone’s expressions as they drank their shot. Best part of the night was running into what felt like half of Cape Town there. Everyone from CT knew at least one person in another tour group and almost all of us were from UCT, I felt a bit sorry for the one Maties guy I met. It was so much fun to party with a bunch of South Africans and it also proved how small our country really is. We partied until the bar closed and then slowly made our way back to the campsite. Another night of cyclone contiki to celebrate our last night in Italy and unfortunately a light got broken.

Leaving Italy was very hard to do as it was such an awesome country. We saw so many amazing sights and it was already starting to feel like home. I really can’t wait to go back there. Add to all that was the knowledge that we were now past the halfway mark of tour and everywhere we went was only closer to back home.
Our next country was Austria. Here we were to be staying in a small mountain town, Hopfgarten. This meant that there was no major city to be explores but they had lined up a whole lot of adventures for us to of which I was too poor/scared to do any. Before we got to the town we stopped for a few people in the group to go white water rafting. Looking back I would’ve liked to have gone but I was just so worried about money at that stage that I decided against it. When we got to our destination I think we were all quite surprised by how small this village actually was. Upon arrival we were told that the party night was that night and the theme was “tight &bright,” again. In protest to the theme repeat I wore black and grey, more out of necessity as I don’t really have tight or bright clothing. The party was quite fun and the tour guides had organised some fun guys versus girls games. A group of us had discover a game that involved knocking nails into a stump of wood with the wrong end of the hammer. This game requires very good hand eye co-ordination, which I have none of even when I haven’t been drinking and so I wasn’t very good at it. As per usual our group were the last there and until closing time.



The girls I was rooming with: Amy; Elle; Ash and I, had decided since there was nothing we had to do the next day we were going to skip breakfast the next morning and sleep in. It was really nice to get a bit of rest and just let my body recover a bit. It seemed like there was quite a few of us who had decided to do this and so we all walked through to town get lunch and explore a bit. It was a really quiet logging town but it was very cute and pretty. When we got back some of the guides were going to a nearby waterpark so we grabbed our costumes and joined them. It was a damn that had been closed in and a pool had been built next door. It was the most amusing thought that we were lying down, reading magazines and tanning in the middle of Austria. We decided to swim in the pool as the damn water was freezing. What we didn’t plan on was getting attacked by a vampire fly. Just imagine a bunch of girls in the pool screaming and waving their hands around their heads, the locals must have thought we were crazy. It was really nice to just have a very chilled day, instead of the very typical tourist activity filled days we had been having. I even managed to get a bit of a tan.
That night was meant to be just a chilled movie night, somehow the consensus landed on watching all the Austen Powers movies. Somehow there were a few of us who moved to the in-house bar and ended up playing a round of Kings. When the bar closed some of the others chose to walk to a bar in the town but I just went back to the movies and eventually to bed.

Although leaving our accommodation the next morning we weren’t leaving Austria quite yet. We were off to the Swarovski Crystal World, which has surprisingly little to do with crystals. It’s a collection of a lot of weird and wonderful artworks. From a set piece from an opera, to a crystal tree by Alexander McQueen. My favourite was an artwork with accompanying music by Brian Eno. I sat in front of it for quite a while listening and seeing how the two pieces fit together.



It was interesting and I’m glad I went but I can’t imagine would be any worse had I not gone there. It was just one of the small stop overs we sometimes made in between the cities we stayed in. Our next was the Dachau concentration camp. It’s not until you step in side and see how dull and lifeless that place is, that you realise how much the people inside really suffered. They’ve added artworks and plant life to make it more bearable and approachable for the visitors, but nothing can really hide the horrors that were experienced there. Just being able to walk out as easily as you walked in makes you feel guilty. Most of the place has been levelled with just the foundations in place so you can see the structure. They do keep one room standing so you can see how everything was. There is also a museum with full explanations of how life was. It was really moving experience it went by so fast and it was time to get back on the bus and move again.