Day 24 of my diary for Ciara

Hey babe,

Well today was a pretty good day, except for one thing... The hot water isn't working :|
So I got up this morning, jumped into the shower and squealed like a little girl as the freezing cold water assaulted my body. If I wasn't awake then, I certainly was after that shower!

Mum had gone shopping with Pa, so I was left home alone for the morning. I made myself vegemite toast, and because we didn't have any juice, I had Dr. Pepper soft drink. The breakfast of champions!

I then wandered around the house for a bit, rather bored, so I offered my services as a director to a few people and it looks like I've got a few gigs shooting some music videos for bands coming up!
I then sat down at the computer and wrote more on a new screenplay I've been working on. It's not great... But hey, at least I'm writing something! I will make it good eventually.

Mum got home around lunch time and I had meat pies for lunch whilst watching the movie "Hobo With A Shotgun."
Dear god, sweet mother of Jesus that was a bad film! I can't even begin to explain just how bad it was... I mean sure it was an exploitation film, but Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made much better exploitation films when they did their Grindhouse double feature!

Anyway I then proceeded to teach myself Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People on ukulele after seeing a mate's cover of it for her audition for the tv show The Voice.
I'm getting pretty good at it too! Not long before I'm a ukulele virtuoso (if there is such a thing...)

After dinner I wrote my review of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol after Chris pestered me to do it. So I posted that to my blog if you want to have a read of that as well!

That's it for today, a pretty relaxing and fulfilling day for me!

How's France babe? That is if you're still there, and not on a plane home...
I called your mum and I'll be at the airport with her to pick you up tomorrow night! I can't wait to see your face Ciara, I've missed you like crazy these past three and a half weeks... I love you more than words can describe my girl.

So until tomorrow, safe journey and bon voyage!

Love always,
from
Your Josh xxx

Review of "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" - SPOILER WARNING

Synopsis (From IMDB): The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organisation's name.




Review:  


Let's start this off by saying that I'm reviewing "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" with my fanboy goggles firmly on. I went and saw it at the advanced screening on Wednesday the 14th of December 2011 at Hoyts cinemas, Frankston in their EXTREME Screen.
I am a huge fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise, except for MI2... Let's just pretend that John Woo never tainted the series with his over-stylised, horribly geographically incorrect and bordering on racist film.


But MI2 is not the reason why we're here! After the series reclaimed it's original panache with J.J. Abrams' MI3, we're now treated with "Mission: Impossible (4) - Ghost Protocol."
I put the number four in brackets because whilst this is the fourth film in the series, they've decided to go against the numbering in the film titles and give it a flashy new name with "Ghost Protocol."


The latest adventure see's Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in his biggest and nigh-on impossible mission to date. The film kicks off with Agent Hanaway (Josh Holloway from "Lost") murdered by an attractive assassin named Sabine Moreau (Lea Sydoux) for a document containing Russian nuclear missile codes, which she intends to sell to a terrorist known only as "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist from "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" series). 


Hunt and his team are sent into the Kremlin to retrieve files identifying Cobalt and this ensues in a very cool, but tense scene in which Hunt and Benjy Dunn (Simon Pegg) hide behind a cloaking sheet as they infiltrate the Kremlin archives.
But alas Cobalt was there already and he sets off a bomb in the Kremlin, framing Hunt and his team as the perpetrators. To the Russians, this is an undeclared act of war by the United States and the IMF is shut down and "Ghost Protocol" is initiated, which basically means the entire agency is disavowed.


From here on in, Hunt and his team are tasked with catching Cobalt, stopping his plans of world destruction and clearing their names. All in a day's work for Ethan Hunt!


They travel from Russia, to India, to Dubai where Hunt must perform a death defying climb on the outside of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Tom Cruise actually did this crazy stunt! He does all his own stunts and he's nearly 50 years old!!! Actors of today need to take a lesson or two from Mr. Cruise, no need for CGI just go out there and do it for real! It looks much more authentic and real if you actually do a stunt, rather than jump in front of a green screen. 
Hence why director Brad Bird chose to shoot the film in IMAX, not 3D on Tom Cruise's insistence. Bird says "It truly immerses the audience. It's really bright, it's really sharp. Big, bright images: they are worth a lot. If your star is going to climb up the outside of a building for real, then I kinda feel as a director, you have a duty to show it."


Ghost Protocol is Brad Bird's live action directorial debut, with his previous films being animations (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant & Ratatouille). And I must say, he did a bloody fantastic job!
I love my movies big and stylish, and Bird delivered on both these fronts. The action is big and stylish, but not stupidly over the top like in John Woo's films. Yet still realistic, but not destroyed by shaky camera like in a Paul Greengrass film.
This is a beautiful movie, the cinematography is utterly gorgeous, adding to the slick and stylish nature of the film.


My only two criticisms of Ghost Protocol are;


Whilst the film has a bad guy, he isn't really an arch-enemy for Hunt like Phillip Seymore-Hoffman was in MI3. Michael Nyqvist is a brilliant actor, and the writers could've done so much more with his character, instead of killing him off, he could've returned in another Mission film to make life even more difficult for Tom Cruise. But I guess that wouldn't have worked as each film is directed by a different director who brings their own style to the series, so it could've impeded too much on the next director's choices in how he directs the film (If there is a next one, that is...).


The second is the nuclear missile which Ethan Hunt stops moments before it crashes into San Francisco. 
It would've exploded before it got to where it was when Hunt hit the disarm button. Typically, nuclear missiles are air-burst weapons, which means they actually explode in the air above the target. This is to increase the effectiveness of the explosion and push the nuclear blast further so that it is not obstructed by things such as large, heavy buildings.
And come on, the missile is moments from collision! Talk about last minute much?


To sum up, Ghost Protocol has made me remember why I go to the cinemas to see movies and why I want to be a director. Movies are about entertainment and escapism, and if you can keep an audience captivated for 133 minutes you've done your job. 
And that is exactly what Brad Bird has done with "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". He transported me for 133 minutes into the world of Ethan Hunt and his team, where the mission is bigger than ever, and the stakes are higher than ever!
I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would go and see it again and again and again!


My rating for "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" is:
9.5/10

Day 17 of my diary for Ciara

Hey girl, how's it going? I hope you're having an awesome time in Milan!
I can't wait to talk to you Ciara, let me know when I can call and I shall!

Well what a day today was! I woke up at Corey's place, tired as all heck. I should've gone to bed before 4am... Anyway I made a sandwich for breaky, grabbed a Gatorade from the shops and I was set!

I headed down to school to meet with a teacher to discuss a project he wants me to work on for him. He'll be getting the school to pay me money to shoot a short documentary he can use in the classroom! How cool is that?!?! My first real filming job and I haven't even hit film school!

After that I went home and I caught up on a good hour's worth of sleep whilst mum was out shopping with Pa. When she got home I had some leftover lasagna for lunch and wrote more on my film. I've had a couple of people read it; my media teacher from distance ed, who gave me some really good tips, and my drama teacher from flinders who absolutely loved it!
So that's going well!

Later in the evening I went into frankston to go bowling for the Civic staff Christmas party. I got one of the highest scores out of everyone! I don't know how... I haven't bowled in god knows how long, but I got two strikes!!! While we were there, I played Taylah from work in a game of pool. She was winning, I had three balls to sink and she only had the 8 ball left. She sunk the 8 ball and the white ball, meaning I won by default! Pure luck wins Josh sports yet again! Hahaha

Afterwards I met up with Dad to go and see the advanced screening of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. Damn it was a good movie. I really enjoyed it! The only downside was that some idiots came into the cinema half way through and made an awful ruckus, but they got kicked out nice and quickly, so it all worked out well!

And that's my day, pretty exhausting! I'm ready for bed now, I need to start getting to sleep before midnight... Oh well I'm not at school anymore! But still, my body needs the rest.

I'll call you at the usual time on your mobile tomorrow. Hopefully it works, but if not please let me know if I can call Pietro's house or not, because I really need to hear your voice Ciara. I had a bit of a meltdown and I just need to hear your voice.

I love you so much girl, more than you will ever know. I can't wait to see you again!

Until we speak again, !

Love always,
from
Your Josh xxx

Day 16 of my diary for Ciara

Hey babe, ok so today's is a little late on the upload, but it's up!

Yesterday was a pretty good day, I slept in so late its ridiculous, you'll never guess when I slept til!
12pm. Yes you read it right, slept until noon. What a badass I am...

The rest of the day consisted of my Mission: Impossible marathon because I'm seeing the new one on Wednesday night!

Then later in the evening it was off to school for presentation evening. It was the most god-awfully boring thing I've ever experienced. And I've been to every single one, but this one was the worst out of them all!

But every year 12 was presented with their 'graduation bible' (how exciting...) I think mine will be used as a paperweight.


Then after presentation I headed to Corey's place in Tyabb with a couple of the lads for a bit of a celebration! We went for a walk in Tyabb at about midnight. While we were walking we heard this massive bang, like an explosion. Then about two seconds later, the sky was lit up by this massive blue flash. It was the weirdest thing!


Perhaps it was aliens!!!
In Tyabb? Not likely... (sigh) I'll have to wait longer before I get to fly in a spaceship.




Anyway that's it for today! I got your message this morning, but you were gone by the time I sent my reply. So let me know when I can call you up and I will. Because I miss you terribly, and I really, really need to hear your voice babe.


Until I speak to you next, I bid you adieu. I love you Ciara.




Love always,
from,
Your Josh xxx

Day 15 of my diary for Ciara

Hey babe!

Well today was an interesting day indeed! I awoke to call you, but of course you didn't answer as usual, so after trying again I resided in the fact that you probably won't pick up.
So I went back to sleep, but not long after, I was awoken suddenly by the ringing of my phone!
I quickly snatched it up, thinking that it was you calling, but alas it was not... It was my manager (sigh) asking me to cover a shift at work this afternoon.
Of course, I said yes, I need all the money I can get!

So because of that, my plans to meet up with some mates in Rosebud we're cancelled because by the time I went down there I'd have to turn around and come back home!

So I sat around, played some playstation and wrote some more! I then looked on the Hoyts cinema website and booked tickets for my dad and I to go and see the advanced screening of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on Wednesday night after my work Christmas party.

So I'm very excited to see that film!
I then headed down to work this arvo, my first shift on my own! It went pretty smoothly, apart from the computer crashing several times... Stupid thing.
Holly from work and her boyfriend came in to help me with closing up later tonight, which was good just to make sure I hadn't missed anything!

And then I headed home where I started my Mission Impossible marathon before seeing the new one on Wednesday!

That's about it really for me today!
How's Milan babe? What's it like there? How's your host family and Pietro? Hope you're having an amazing time over there girl!

I love you and miss you lots! I'll call at the normal time on your mobile, but let me know if I can call his home and I'll call there instead if that works better!

Well I'm off, beddy byes for Josh!

Love always,
from
Your Josh xxx