Tag Archives: Humor

Where Do You Go To Be Alone?

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Sometimes my life gets so hectic I need a time-out.

You know… I find a nice quiet place to sit down on my own and relax…

I switch off my phone, look to the horizon, meditate, brainstorm, plot world domination, have another glass… you know how it goes.

Hey, cats do it – why can’t we?

yogi cat

Well a place that I love to do that here in Cape Town is actually anywhere by the sea.

I love the sea, maybe it has something to do with my starsign (the crab), I don’t know!

I find that a nice place in that case, is at Caprice in Camps Bay.

Please adjust the viewing settings for the video below to best quality (1080p HD).

I like the view of the sea and the white of the venue.

The Grand in Granger Bay is also divine.

I love the open space and the sand.

I’ve read that the colour white is very therapeutic, which is what both these places have in common.

White is the color of purity. Brides wear white in many countries, because white symbolizes a virgin. White means kindness. In some cultures white is worn at funerals. White is Monday’s color. White daisies are a symbol of loyal love.

- http://crystal-cure.com/white.html

possible yogi couch?

Last time I went for my alone time at The Grand, I had the oysters! yum!

I recommend this with champagne if you are feeling very philosophical!

lucky me!

Another place I love is Vovo Telo Bakery & Cafe at the V&A Waterfront here in Cape Town.

They do amazing coffees (it is their speciality, after all) and it’s a gorgeous little place to sit down and have some alone time.

How about you?

Where’s your place to go and ‘just be’ when things get too much?

Do you go to a public place or do you rather take a time out at home?

Please cast your vote below, I would love to know!


My Review of Skyfall (Call me the Black Sheep)

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skyfall-quad

Ok so before I begin my review, I must make it known:

I’m no professional movie critic. I don’t work in Hollywood and I don’t do in-depth critiques of motifs, character development and production design. Nor the sound score, capturing the essence of a genre, the direction, the stunts or the cinematography.

Nope. I’m into the simple things: the storyline, the acting and the basic feeling I get when I walk out.

Motifs were pretty straightforward in this case anyway (good versus evil, youth versus experience, transformation, identity, resurrection, blah blah blah) and production design was incredible. Not disputing that; loved the execution of the action sequences and loved the locations.

Loved the establishing shots which placed the action at the start of the pinnacle scenes, loved the music and especially Adele’s theme song.

adele-skyfall_sep12

From what I know about camera angles, stunts and cinematography, it was great.

But at the end of the day I’m just a normal member of the public going to watch a movie (like all of us) and that’s the lens through which I understand and interpret a film.

I’m not a sheep and I don’t just go with the pack to be cool.

I tell it like it is.

I’m real like that.

I know technically I should say it was so fabulous because of the huge hype around it and because the word ‘Skyfall’ just sounds cool.

But I honestly think it can wait for DVD. This one, anyway.

Or rather, go and see it.. but you won’t want to go again.

So with that said…

I wasn’t impressed as impressed as I thought I should have been by Skyfall (you can lower your shotgun, I’m gonna explain).

I’m not gonna bother to write a tedious paragraph of what I thought because I know you’ll get bored and lose interest halfway through.

I’m just gonna bullet thoughts that were running through my head while I watched what was possibly the most built-up movie I’ve ever seen.

Skyfall_poster

1. What’s up with Bérénice Marlohe only being in like 3 scenes?

berenice-marlohe-pic-getty-560860516

2. What’s up with Bérénice Marlohe not being able to act? She either grossly over-acted being ‘scared’ or she was genuinely terrified of acting opposite Daniel Craig after only ever acting in a string of unknown french tv series. Look she’s hot, I’ll give her that. But I was very uncomfortable watching her ‘act’ and I just wanted it to go away.

3. There NO  sexual chemistry between Daniel Craig and Naomie Harris NOR WILL THERE EVER BE. This is NO Robert Downey Jr. & Gwyneth Paltrow in Ironman and it will never happen. Terrible casting.

movies_skyfall_still_5

gwyneth-paltrow-robert-downey-jr-armor-iron-man-3__oPt

4. What’s up with Judi Dench dying anyway?

Judi Dench

5. Why didn’t we see more sex?

6. I’m pretty sure Daniel Craig has had cheek implants and that kind of awkwardly distracted me the whole movie.

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7. Javier Bardem was absolutely fantastic and, dare I say, carried the film. Plus he flirted with Bond. How 2012 of him. – is it normal to go away from a movie wishing the villain had survived?


Daniel Craig;Javier Bardem

8. What is up with film being so effing long?

9. What’s up with 007 JAMES BOND being so utterly out-of-shape and crap? Is this honestly the image they wanted to portray? Are they mad? I think I’m missing something here. They made reference the entire film to him being physically inept and showed him missing targets and failing field work tests. They made reference to his old age so many times. And yet … it’s james bond. Maybe you can help me here. That was terrible script-writing.

10. Can we talk about Javier Bardem’s inflated upper lip? hahahaha I love him to death he was the best part about the film but it really put me off!

skyfall-trailer

11. Can we talk about how Javier Bardem escaped his holding cell???? I don’t understand at all. I was so annoyed and it was so far fetched I nearly threw up in my cheese & chives popcorn.

12. What’s with the reindeer statue above the ‘Skyfall’ pillar in Scotland? Couldn’t they have opted for a wolf? A dragon? A panther? A vampire maybe?

12. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY THERE IS NO WAY JAMES BOND AFTER BEING SHOT DEAD IN THE HEART ON A MOVING TRAIN AND FALLING INTO A WATERFALL COULD HAVE SURVIVED.

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13. HOW DID HE END UP ON AN ISLAND TAKING SHOTS OF TEQUILA WITH THE LOCALS AFTER THAT?

J

13. Wasn’t connecting with the memory of his ‘parents’. They were shoving it down our throats but. (Some flashbacks would have been nice)

14. How awesome and random was the old man grounds keeper?! He made my life. Although he went from being ‘ready before bond was born’ to invalid old man barely snuffling into tunnel in less than a minute. Not well-scripted. Either cut it out or keep it consistent.

15. What was up with the cyanide performance? Didn’t get that part of the story.

16. Finally, was Javier hot for Judi Dench? I’m sorry, I missed the memo. I thought he wanted to kill her and instead we ended up with an awkwardly-acted-kinky-exchange between the two in his final scene. That totally missed the mark.

17. Finally finally, yes. Everyone can hold their breath under water for 3 minutes.

Animal Cartoon_Sheep Cartoon_Animals_Sheep_Black Sheep_Cartoon_Illustration

Here are some other reviews of the film:

Have you seen it?? What did you think?? Tweet me at @TamikaDoubell.

http://mashable.com/2012/11/08/skyfall-reviews-tweets-ebert/

http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/movie-review-skyfall-is-the-very-best-and-very-worst-of-bond-510772.html

http://www.thegadflypress.com/2012/11/five-reasons-why-skyfall-was-terrible.html

http://mashable.com/2012/11/08/skyfall-reviews-tweets-ebert/#93591Lotus-Esprit-The-Spy-Who-Loved-Me-1977

http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/skyfall-the-greatthe-good-the-bad-and-the-really-bad.php

The Opening of Kunjanimation 2012 & The Exclusive Premiere Screening of Adventures in Zambezia!

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Last night I attended a fantastic event to mark the launch of “Kunjanimation 2012″ – South Africa’s only national event exclusively dedicated to celebrating the art and business of animation.

…. Now if that doesn’t sound like a recipe for success I don’t know what does!

This year, we are proud to bring some of the world’s most exciting animation and animators to the Mother City for a week of sharing knowledge, strengthening our ties with the industry abroad, and of course, exploring South Africa’s own emerging talent. 2012′s Programme features screenings of a remarkable variety of work from across Europe and Africa, which we are pleased to be able to open to the general public.

-  http://www.kunjanimation.org/

Held at the illustrious V&A waterfront here in Cape Town, guests arrived at The Pavilion and were greeted to snacks and drinks.

It was a gorgeous afternoon and everyone mingled while excitement grew for the premiere screening of the film “Zambezia” – see my blog article on it HERE.

I took my friend Nella as my partner for the evening.

Having both obtained our degrees in Film Production from UCT, we’ve been to our fair share of screenings………. and we still get totally amped each and every time!

The Crowd

People arriving

Inside the Millennium Room

Wearing my favourite colour this season, mint!

Snacks

After the welcoming speeches were given, everyone made their way to Nu Metro at the waterfront to watch the film.

I was completely excited and, true to form, I got my extra large popcorn and coke!

Putting on my 3D glasses, I sat back and enjoyed the beautifully-animated and emotive journey I was taken on.

My verdict?

The film was absolutely outstanding!!

I was totally captivated the whole movie.

I can honestly say I am a hard critic but I was completely sold on this film.

I loved how the emotions of every character were captured impeccably  - at many points I had either goosebumps or tears in my eyes as I went on an adventure with the lead character Kai.

I appreciated how it was done in a completely African setting, with a proverbial “silver cord” of African life running through every angle of the film…. music, design and story.

The music of the film was exceptionally suited to the story and the setting, providing a wonderful feel to the movie throughout.

One of my favourite South African singers Zolani Mahola, lead vocalist from Freshly Ground, gave the film a festive home-grown flavour at one point when she featured in the song ‘Get Up’ written & composed by Bruce Retief the film’s composer.

A real highlight for me were the colours and the sheer beauty of the scenes.

I’m all for magic and fantasy, and the way the fictional destination of “Zambezia” or “Bird City” was designed and executed left me breathless.

What they’ve done is create a dazzling world of colour, vibrance and diversity that you just want to dive into and be a part of.

It was such rewarding escapism which had all the viewers glued to the big screen.

You could tell by the laughs from the crowd that people were enjoying what they saw.

The storyline is nice and simple – very easy to follow, which I like.

It means you can really just enjoy the beauty of the scenery and the story without thinking too hard.

- Very refreshing!!

It had a nice pace and some beautiful narrative motifs.

A classic structure of good vs. evil and let me tell you, I was ready to grow wings and fly in to fight the good fight!

An 83 min  -  Animation | Adventure | Comedy, the humour of the people involved in making the movie shines through the different characters and their dialogue at times.

- Some truly funny moments!

Adventures in Zambezia was picked up by Sony Pictures for distribution in English-speaking territories and will be released in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

- http://nfvf.co.za/weblog/2012-09-07/the-adventures-in-zambezia-hard-work-pays-off

The movie will be released in South Africa on 26 December by Nu Metro.

It makes me so proudly South African and I recommend that if you do nothing else this summer, you go watch this feel-good movie!

For a South African animated film shot on a limited budget of $20 million and under difficult circumstance, the turnaround on The Adventures in Zambezia is a real achievement.

-  http://nfvf.co.za/weblog/2012-09-07/the-adventures-in-zambezia-hard-work-pays-off

They had over 250 people working on what is the first feature film from Triggerfish. 

The message of the story?

To me it was that by working together we can achieve greater things than we can working alone.

- As one of the characters shouted out at some point; “Synergy!”

(Cue Stephen Covey)

An overall success I would say; a movie with a rich setting and mesmerizing characters who each have their own distinct qualities.

By the end of the film, you feel like you know each bird – or lizzard – and just want more of them ………. Hmmmmm, do I smell a sequel coming on?!

Thank you guys for a wonderful evening!

And thank you Gareth Evans for the photographs!

The J&B Met & Life in The Fast Lane!!!

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Okay so  the last 2 weeks have been manic.

I drove back from my hometown Port Elizabeth in that time and seem to have been running around since then!

Something I went to last weekend which was a cool event here in Cape Town was called the J & B Met.

It’s a horse-racing event where gambling and fashion meet, basically :)

There are hundreds of people who attend, to show off innovative garments and to place bets on the horses.

My uncle Pierre Strydom was one of the jockeys.

He did very well on the day – he placed in three races and and had one win.

The horse he rides is ‘Gimmethegreenlight’ – number 15 – and he came 3rd in the main race!! So I was VERRRY proud!

It was a super day!

My outifit was given to me by the very popular Longstreet Fashion Boutique

And let me tell you, walking around in those heels was another story! (the price us girls pay…… :) )

It was a lot of fun!

We arrived after lunch and left at about 7pm.

I made a few bets (it pays to have an uncle in the know) and won! so I walked away with a smile on my face ~

On the work front, lately I’ve been getting bookings for my hands and feet.

Hands – fine.

Feet – awkward.

My modelling agent sent me an e-mail requesting pictures of my feet for a job not so long ago.

There really is no flattering way to photograph one’s feet I don’t think, unless there’s a fine pair of heels on them.

Having done a job already for feet, I can see how it could be ok! (good shoes mandatory)

We’ll see how this one pans out – hope I get to wear some nice shoes like the ones here in this picture!

Hands are a bit better.

I’m doing a job for a SKYY Vodka application on the iPAD where my hands (and voice) will be used for the tuturiol of their new ‘Mix-a-cocktail’ application. Hmmm, sounds fun!

As for my voice, I recently did a radio advert for Axe Deodrant.

I love voice-over work – you sit in a cool booth that’s sound proof and read out the script you’re given.

I had a good laugh at this one because the script was quite steamy and actually saying the lines in my sexiest voice – as they wanted – was totally embarrassing.

The sound engineer kept screaming “I didn’t write this! I swear!”

It was for Axe Deodrant Uruguay so thank goodness my friends won’t have to hear me say that on the radio here:)

One of the lines was;

“Can you imagine how sweaty we could get?”

Ummmm….I will say no more!!!

As you may or may not know, the Axe campaign is “It Will Make Angels Fall”

I read somewhere that this commercial was banned in many countries (including South Africa) because Christians were offended at its satirical nature.

They said that angels aren’t depicted in the Bible as scantily dressed or even female for that matter.

One male Christian viewer wrote in that he was upset by “the suggestion that God’s messengers could literally fall for a man on the basis of his shop-bought fragrance.”

Because of this, the country’s Advertising Standards Authority moved  to ban the ad on the presumption that other viewers would also be offended.

“The problem is not so much that angels are used in the commercial, but rather that the angels are seen to forfeit, or perhaps forego their heavenly status for mortal desires,” the ASA ruled.

“This is something that would likely offend Christians in the same manner as it offended the complainant.”

On the acting scene, I’m shooting a commercial Monday for the very popular Thorpe Park, U.K.

It’s regarded as being amongst the Top 6 amusement / theme parks in the U.K.

It’s the nation’s ‘Thrill Capital’ with over 30 extreme rides & attractions.

My last experience of a theme park was in Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City.

I remember going on the ‘Golden Loop’ and I was terrified!

I’m doing this shoot in a bikini, so here’s putting all the Quality Streets I have stashed in my kitchen — AWAY!!!

Think of me this weekend as I rediscover the glories of the Virgin Active’s ‘Stepper’

Oh, and just to let you know, the research on my next blog article – “Where to get a good glass of champagne in Cape Town” – is going very well ;)

Until next week,

Xxxx

>> Bafunny Bafunny <<

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How’s this for a cute concept –

“If comedy was a sport, who would represent South Africa?”

Bafunny Bafunny is a new hilarious comedy show, featuring 8 of South Africa’s best (funniest) comedians.

The title alone grabs your attention; a smart pun playing on the name of our national soccer team ‘Bafana Bafana’…

Who are they, you’re asking? Who makes up our ‘team’?

Touring South Africa, these 8 comedians have put Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town in stitches!

I attended the show in Cape Town at the Grand West Grand Arena, and let me tell you by the end of the 2 and a half hour show I was crying my way out of there!

MC’d by Mark Banks, The Bafunny Bafunny squad did not disappoint!

The comedy was all very sharp, very relevant and extremely unforgettable! (I’ll be that irritating one that repeats the jokes to her friends for weeks to come)

A recurring theme through all the comedians seemed to be Julius Malema as well as the cuss word “jou ma se –“

(us South Africans know the rest :) )

I wonder if they all had a workshop and brainstormed together…

There is only one criticism that I have of a few of the comedians.

I’m not a fan of too much of the word ‘fuck’ in comedy. I think it’s a lazy alternative to a pause.

When used strategically, ‘fuck’ can be very poignant and give that final ‘je ne sais quoi’ to a very smart joke. But when we have to see them stumble through 6 ‘fucks’ in two sentences because they think they’re making it funnier (I think it’s just a nervous habit), there’s a problem.

Unfortunately ‘fuck’ was used so much by one or two of the guys that by the 4th ‘fuck’ in the same sentence, my friends and I were actually cringing.

Not because we were offended, but because it was so annoying that the joke couldn’t be told coherently without ‘fuck’ finding its way in either as an adjective (‘fucking’ grannies are ‘fucking’ old bru) or a noun (I don’t give a ‘fuck’ that they’re old) or an adverb (when they’re ‘fucking’ pushing those trollies) or a sheer exclamation (they must stay on their side of the isle. ‘Fuck!’) – and in most cases, all four!

Think about it.

Is that comedy?

My favourite comedian of the night by far was Trevor Noah (ironically he didn’t swear once).

Sponsored by Savannah – “Official Drink of Funny” – this was a real cross-section of talent, featuring comedians from all backgrounds and from all walks of life.

There would have been at least 1 out of the 8 that appealed to you if you attended!

Here is the URL to the website where you can learn about each comedian if you want to know more about them and their ‘position’ in the ‘team’.

http://www.bafunnybafunny.com/

  • Barry Hilton
  • John Vlismas
  • Loyiso Gola
  • Mark Banks
  • Trevor Noah
  • Nik Rabinowitz
  • Stuart Taylor
  • Eugene Khoza

Also, check out their killer trailer -

Xxxx

John Cleese Brings His Alimony Tour to Cape Town!

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John Cleese.

We all know him as Basil from the famous British sitcom “Fawlty Towers”, produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975.

We also loved him for his role as a member of Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus and four Monty Python Films: And Now for Something Completely Different, Holy Grail, Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

He describes himself as a “British Writer, Actor and Tall Person” on his blog and of course many of us remember his witty British humour gracing our very own South African film, Spud.

He’s done it all – radio, television and film; including his roles in two James Bond films, two Harry Potter films and three Shrek films.

Basically, he’s a legend.

And just one week before his 72nd birthday, he is performing stand-up comedy in South Africa!

Brilliant.

He performs at the Cape Town International Convention Centre tonight, as well as over the weekend (22-23rd Oct)!

He is in Johannesburg from the 25th-30th of October.

Xxxx

How do you scream in a British accent??

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Today I auditioned for a slasher film.

Really, Seriously? – Does this kind of thing still tickle the fancy of film buffs everywhere? That was so 90’s…

According to Wikipedia, this is the definition of a slasher movie:

“A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe.”

Hmmm. Yes, very appealing.

Let me fill you in on a quick history of Slasher films.

#1 The Psycho Age 1960-1978.

Apparently this is attributed to the Hitchcock classic Psycho; The father of all slasher movies.

#2 The Halloween Age 1978-1996.

This age focused primarily on two things: The Unstoppable Killer Movies and the Holiday Slashers.

#3 The Scream Age 1996-present.

Basically people lost interest in the Slasher genre and Scream kick-started it again.

As I was paging through some movie posters, I had a good laugh at this one:

Apparently Halloween was the first major box office success in the genre.

It’s tagline? “The Night HE came home…”

One could laugh out loud at such a genre, but it does have commercial value — slasher villains have been such popular characters since the 1980s that merchandise such as the Jason model kit (Jason from Friday the 13th), are common.

What is it with society’s fascination with slasher movies?

Is there something enticing about the sound of the local neighbourhood babe being mercilessly hacked by an angry freak? (Although after the recent Blackberry FAIL I could identify with him!!)

Oh, my bad, either that or she is in fact the freak herself…

I auditioned for the lead.

I had to do the whole thing in a British accent which was fun!

I think mine’s pretty good. Bold statement, I know.

Anyway, hold thumbs for me…..

(I wanna get ‘slashed’! hahahaha)

Xxxx

For more info on slasher films check out this link:

http://lordnasebyblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/three-ages-of-slasher-film-or-slasher.html

Leon Schuster’s Back!

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Drinking my morning Nescafe, I do the rounds of reading about the latest updates in the SA Film industry.

Coffeeee!!

As I click through many articles; two words jump out at me again and again.

Leon Schuster.

*slurp*

It seems he’s come out with a new film.

We all know his most popular movies (Panic Mechanic, Mr Bones, Oh Schuks…it’s Schuster, Mama Jack) and a lot of us look back fondly on memories that saw us rolling around the bedroom floor in hysterics at his characters.

Well – more of those moments await us because he has a new film coming out called ‘Bad Buddies’.

Schuster says; “It’s about two men, one black, one white who are supposed to be buddies but instead they are constantly bickering, plotting against one another.”

Apparently it still has the same formula – simple, straightforward and concentrating on visual gags.

Gray Hofmeyr, well-known South African film and television director, sums it up as the ‘funniest we have ever done’ – hmmm, no pressure.

More good news – the Walt Disney Company itself has just acquired the Distribution rights! Woah, not playing around.

“I am thrilled by the idea!” Schuster exclaimed in an interview with The Citizen. “It’s definitely a dream come true. But I’m also carefully optimistic because this doesn’t necessarily mean it will be an international success. I believe Disney will give the movie more support with their massive marketing machine and unlike working with a local producer, Disney will make sure it gets exposed worldwide.”

I say Thumbs Up, Schuster! I hope that an international audience will welcome the film and its jokes as much as we here in South Africa will…

I for one love a good comedy.

Can’t wait to see it….

A man’s shirt, lace lingerie and my bottle of courage!

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One of the leading retailers of fine quality clothing that we all know so well in South Africa, Queenspark, is on the lookout for someone to fill a saucy role on TV!

Queenspark has a chain of clothing stores around the country, catering for both men and women.

Ladies’ hearts may just melt at their new Spring collection… I know mine did.

The stores are very elegant and positively dangerous for the wallet of a woman in the mood for a browse.

I went to a casting for them a few days ago and the brief was : panties and a man’s shirt.

-Come again??

That’s right; nothing but an oversized man’s shirt and the cutest knickers you have!

The aim of the commercial is to show (in the classiest way, of course) a young, good-looking couple enjoying a sensual evening together… courtesy of Queenspark clothing.

The girl has to ‘dance sexually’ for her boyfriend in her lingerie and his shirt.

I must say, I had a glass of wine before I went in for this one!

It was on the other side of a windy and busy Cape Town, so I was quite flustered and windswept upon arrival -Not my best!

I felt positively naughty crossing the road to enter the casting building; with my bottle of wine in one hand, my lingerie and a man’s shirt in the other!

One can only wonder what the local construction workers who were looking on must have thought!

There was quite a big wait to go in…. Dolls from all over the city were waiting their turn to show their moves.

When I eventually got into the room, I was pleasantly surprised because the male casting director was very professional and the room was nice and large and there was a freshness about the whole thing.

I was number 300….. to think that the guy had seen this 299 times before me! hahaha…

As the music started and he said ‘Go’ , I got into it like an exotic dancer on a good night -Very pleased indeed.

This was a big step up from my last dance-type casting experience ( see my article “a funny casting experience!” )

We had a good laugh afterwards and I felt it went very well.

I have to wait a bit before I find out if I got the job…. and if I do? Well, explaining it to my friends who’ll see on the screen will be another story!

hehe…

Xxxx