So Many New Things

November is shaping up to be a really great month for me. I do not know why but this month has just seemed so great. I have no other way to explain it. The past few days has even strengthened my view of this. As most of you will not know, Lady Gaga's new album new album ARTPOP was released just today and even as I type this Lady Gaga is celebrating the release with an artRAVE. You may remember back in August when I got really excited when Applause was released (a single from the album). Now multiply that by fifteen (the number of songs on the album) and you get an idea of how I am feeling right now. I quickly downloaded all the songs onto my phone and so far I have listened to a number of the songs already. I also created a playlist of all the songs I could find on YouTube that was from ARTPOP. To view this playlist just click here. I have also embedded the playlist in this post. It is right under the album cover for ARTPOP below.

Source: http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/10/this-is-lady-gagas-artpop-album-cover/

I am totally dancing in my seat right now as I write this post. I am in total fanboy meltdown at the moment. It was definitely worth the wait. Those who are not fans of Lady Gaga may not enjoy it as much. So please, if you do not like Lady Gaga know this: I do not care. I can not stop singing "G.U.Y." and "Aura". So you guys have probably worked out by now that Lady Gaga is my all-time favourite artist. I adore her and her songs. Lady Gaga is the best. There, I said it. Aside from Lady Gaga (as reluctant as I am to move on) Doctor Who also released two new trailers for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of the Doctor. This is just a really awesome trailer that provides some great sneak peeks at what is going to happen in the blockbuster 50th anniversary special. I can not wait until the episode actually airs on the 23rd (or 24th in Australia [I do not know]) of November so that I can actually watch this special episode featuring Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Smith all as the doctor. Obviously though they play different regenerations of the doctor but they still meet at what appears to be Gallifrey. The trailer makes it seem really awesome but I guess that is just the job of the trailer. Anyway, I really want to get back to Lady Gaga so I am just going to finish this post before it becomes more random than my last Random Thought Friday post which I actually posted on Saturday due to time restraints.

I live for the applause (#APPLAUSE), see you tomorrow!

King Kong Live on Stage Review

King Kong, the infamous god of Skull Island, whose heart was tamed by the brave Ann Darrow has managed to tame the hearts of those who watch him. This show truly is something that has to be seen to be believed. It is no wonder that it has become known as the most technologically advanced musical in the World. The smart costumes, developed characters and hard-hitting musical numbers make up only part of the wonder that is King Kong. The incredible special effects really creates the atmosphere and the set itself is so technologically advanced you have things coming up from below and down from above. I give this show four and a half stars. It really was fantastic.

Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/KingKongStage

I attended the Matinee performance today and was very excited. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed by what I saw and recommend that people see it before it leaves Australia (Melbourne being the only place in Australia to host it). The moment when Kong reveals his face and the crowd goes silent is a theatrical moment that will stay with me forever. Just that sensation of everyone being in awe of this one puppet really shows how wonderful it actually is. I was curious as to how they would portray the story of King Kong on stage and again I was not disappointed by what I witnessed. It was such an immersive show and is something I will never forget. The seats literally shake towards the lead up of King Kong's appearance and his footsteps resonate around the whole of the Regent Theatre. Then there are the actual vocals which are incredibly powerful. From the soulful tunes of Full Moon Lullaby to the haunting beats of Rise King Kong does not disappoint. It will truly hook you from beginning to end and leave you in awe of the skill and creativity of the production team. My favourite scene from the show would have to be King Kong's rampage through New York City and how they show his destructive path and the people he kills in the search for his love. It really is wonderful how they show him climbing the buildings and tearing them down. The only thing I would be worried about as an actor on stage is being crushed by the 60 tonne beast that is King Kong. Even the background, a massive LED screen with millions of individual pixels, really creates another layer of depth to the show. It is so advanced that it even reacts to the characters on stage and each show is therefore different because of this. Of course it comes to a sad ending that is portrayed exceptionally well by the cast and creative team. It really brings out the main theme of a beauty and her beast because, at it's heart, King Kong is a love story. In short, King Kong is a show not to be missed and is set to be a world-wide hit. King Kong is a masterpiece. It literally redefines the genre.

Overall Rating: 4 and a half stars

Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/KingKongStage

King Kong is not to be missed, see you tomorrow!

Oblivion Review

My Rating: 9/10

Synopsis (Click here for source): 
Tom Cruise starts in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs. Jack's mission is nearly complete.

Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

My Review:
Oblivion is a huge success and is one of the best action/sci-fi movies out to-date. The action in the movie is not in your face and the suspense just keeps you glued to the screen waiting to see what happens. An exemplary writing skill is shown in this movie as you are left questioning right to the very end and the writers make you believe something at the start and then they show that everything is not quite as it seems. It is a cinematic success and the dystopian landscapes with constant hints to well-known Earth landmarks, such as the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge, add another layer to an already multi-faceted movie experience.

The acting of Tom Cruise (as Jack Harper), Morgan Freeman (as Malcolm Beech, one of the 'rebels'), Olga Kurylenko (as the stranger from Jack's past, a past he has no memory of) and Andrea Riseborough (as Victoria, Jack's partner [in work and bed]) is exceptional and adds yet another layer to the movie. The characters at the start seem entirely different to what they do at the end and this is partly due to the acting because no matter how good a script, if you don't have good actors playing the parts then the story is just unbelievable.

So that is another thing that provides this movie with some intrigue, it is believable. Despite the sci-fi aspect it is still a realistic futuristic Earth, ravaged by war of the greatest scale ever witnessed, that can be related to because of the use of famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge and they explain how the Earth got to how it did.

Overall it is a great movie which is why I gave it 9/10. I am not usually a fan of action movies but there isn't a lot of in-your-face action like Batman, or Iron Man, or any movie really where the last three letters are M-A-N. I really recommend this for teenagers and older (do not take your kids) and even my grandmother loved it and she doesn't like action movies, or sci-fi for that matter. So I urge you to watch this movie.

In other news: Today I had an award ceremony for the Fellowship of Australian Writers because I had submitted a selection of 10 writing pieces to a competition and my work got Highly-Commended (the one under Won) and there were only 4 people (out of hundreds) who actually got any recognition for their work. (1 person got Commended, 2 got Highly Commended and 1 won). Plus, this was an Australian-wide competition so it is really cool that I won.

Also, check out my friend Xavier's Awesome blogs! They are great because Xavier has just a natural sense of humour so you'll definitely enjoy them! Check them out here: Daily Xavier (wonder where the idea of that name came from [he made his after I showed him mine by the way]) and Xavier's Thoughts on Current Affairs

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!