Bring on the popcorn!

Am in the second week of my two week holiday from uni. Still got another three assignments to finish before the break is over, but am taking it easy (perhaps a little too easy xD) Been doing a bit of reading, drawing, organizing my bedroom and last but not least, watching a few movies!

The following post will contain reviews of what I have watched so far (warning --> could be some spoilers)


1) The Tattooist

This is an NZ movie (no wonder I saw it advertised so extravagantly around the country a while back) and it's to do with the Samoan People mystical beliefs when it comes to tattoos. The movie is a supernatural thriller and stars the alien dude from Roswell (forgot his name xD) and a few NZ actors.

The Samoan people make up quite an ample contribution to the population of NZ, and so have brought their culture with them as well. One of the most important rituals that Samoan men go through is the "tatau" ritual, or tattooing. The Samoans are basically the ones who invented the word tattoo. During the tatau ritual, ink is sliced into the skin using a special tool that must be hit rythmatically for it to sink into the skin, kinda like carving a stone. The Samoan's tattoos are really abstract, mostly composed of linear lines and symmetrical shapes like triangles. For a Samoan male to run away from his tatau ritual is to bring great shame to his family, and this is a fate worse than death to them. In the present days, the ritual isn't held in as great reverie as once before, and Samoans who practice it are keeping in touch with their culture.

The movie deals with the mystical belief that a person is "cursed" with shame if he does not finish his tatau ritual, and that's where the whole supernatural horror scene enters. I rather enjoyed the movie. It isn't gonna win an award for amazing acting or scriptwriting, but it was enjoyable to watch, plus I've lived in NZ for three years now and I was proud to see my second home in a movie (NZ is a country not famous for many things, pretty much has a low profile) I loved seeing the different tattoos in the movie, the patterns and the colors, in addition to learning a bit more about Samoan Tattooing, since I did have an intrest in it once. The Tattooist gets a 7/10 from me.



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2) The Other Boleyn Girl

Ahh .. so much to say about this movie <3> I loved learning about the Tudor dynasty when I was in school in England. King Henry the 8th fascinated me the most from that English dynasty, but my fascination with his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Suppresses that. Her tale is that of great power, love, deciption, and unjust murder.

Henry the 8th, in my opinion, was one freaking a-hole. He wanted a son for an heir, but after marrying 6 different women, and sleeping with countless others, the only son borne for him died at a young age for being a sickly child. Instead, upon his death, one of the greatest Queens England has seen, his and Anne Boleyn's daughter the red haired Elizabeth, rose to the throne. Out of the six wives Henry wedded, two were divorced, two were beheaded, one died and one survived. Anne was one of the two that were beheaded.

The movie tells the story of Anne from a perspective I have never known before, that Henry actually had her sister for a mistress before he fell for her. Mary (Anne's sister) was happily married until the King's eye fell on her and he ordered her to his bedroom against her wishes. She ended up being impregnated, and while lying on bed waiting for her baby to be born, Henry fell for her sister Anne (the lousy slimeball) Mary returned to her family's estate with the baby boy she gave birth to, while Anne and Henry began their love affair.

Anne refused to go into Henry's bed as a mistress, and told him the only way is if she were to become his wife. That was impossible, since divorce is not allowed with Catholics, and Henry at that time was married to the Spanish Katherine of Aragorn. The pope refused to annul the marriage, Anne refused to sleep with Henry, and finally England broke away from the Chruch in Rome and declared the Church of England to be the head church in addition to Royal Supremacy of the King over the church. This caused a great outcry in the country and almost resulted in a civil war. But Anne got what she wanted in the end, and the couple married secretly, and not too far after, Anne gave birth to little Elizabeth.

For three years, the couple lived happily together, the only stain is the fact that Anne has not borne a son yet (or any baby for that matter after Elizabeth) Henry started becoming agitated, and soon his eyes fell upon Jane Seymour (who later became his thrid wife) After miscarrying a 15 month old baby boy, Henry knew he needed to get rid of Anne to marry Jane Seymour. Anne was charged with incest with her brother George, and treason against the King. She flatly denied this, but was beheaded in the end, both she and her brother. The Boleyn family wanted to secure wealth and great status by becoming close to the king and they ended up with the two dead children and one known amongst the public as a royal whore.

The events in the movie are not historically accurate most of the time, however it's close enough and I totally loved it! A big fat 10/10 from me =P