Ablaze sets Baxter on Fire

Apologies for the really cliche headline but there are simply no other words to describe the show put on by Afrika Ablaze in their new production entitled Raw Silk. Written, choreographed and produced by founder Glenda Jones the story tells one that is often ignored in South Africa - the story of the street children struggling to survive among the dregs of society. It focuses on their hopes of a better life often with the smallest amount of faith that they'll ever achieve their dreams.

The electrifying dancing and singing will pull you into their world. My companions for the evening were visibly entranced by the array of legs on display... no prizes for who was with me! What made the show even more special was that you can see the excitement and joy the performers radiated, their energy and enjoyment was infectious.

If you have have nothing else keeping you warm tonight or  tomorrow, there are still some tickets available through Computicket.

Thanks to Tasneem Jakoet for the heads up of this brilliant performance!

What I REALLY Learnt at Varsity

With my brother doing his job shadowing programme this week it got me thinking about life a few years ago... A time when opportunities seemed endless and your whole life seems to stretch out ahead of you. You have infinite choice on where to go to attain the knowledge you need to forge your blazing career path. Enter: The Varsity Years. (Note that this post also coincides with the world-wide release of the much anticipated Monsters Inc 2: Monsters University)

 

For me the most important lessons I learnt  were not the ones of the academic kind but rather the life skills that come with the adjustment of being classed an adult. (Thanks anyway parents, although a year in Barcelona or a car would've been cheaper)

Here are some of my favourite lessons (compiled with the help of my friends who saw me through the years):

1) How to Prioritise (i.e procrastinate - by MY definition - do the important things in life)

Well, the entire 10 Seasons of Friends wasn't gonna watch itself, someone had to do it... 2 weeks before June exams in my final year...

2) How to look interested in something that is boring you to death.

Simply stare at the lecturer's left shoulder quizically. Your concerted frown of concentration will mask the fact that you're judging his choice in tweed.

3) How to effectively judge people based on their outfit choices without verbalising judgement accidentally.

(See above) And also, here's looking at you New Balance wearing odd balls carrying hiking backpacks and donning shorts... it's 8 degrees and storming! Put on some real pants!

4) How to sokkie (This only applies to the small percentage of people brave enough to cross the Boerewors curtain) 

I have yet to see my best friend Caryn break out these unique dance moves... Harlem Shake?

5) How to assume the appropriate facial expressions when someone smarter than you is explaining a smart concept you don't understand.

6) How to pee silently while the line for the cubicle grows...

7) How to move stationery on your desk to detract from the rumbling tummy sounds.

8) How to fart while walking without your face giving you away (This gem courtesy of the combined efforts of Caryn And Staci )

9) How to hold a really bad nose blowing session till the end of an exam where you can hear a pin drop.

10) How to avoid eye contact with the preacher walking around on campus looking for his next victim.

11) How to escape a death trap (getting stuck between the closing doors of a bus and having to yell out to the driver for help) while your friend Tavia tries and fails to recover from a laughing attack

12) How to catch up on sleep and still manage to have copious notes that are study-worthy at the end of a lecture.

13) How to defend your food from winged predators who have no hesitation taking a bite of your bacon sandwich.

14) How to ace an essay on 1 hour of sleep, 2 questionable jugs of alcoholic beverages all 3 hours before it's due! (The things you do for a friend who's just broken up with an idiot (standard term for 'them"))

15) You will never have as much fun, enjoy your life, or make the best of friends and memories as you will during those years at college! 

I'd love to hear some of your favourite lessons too! Lemme know by leaving a comment below or tweeting me @TarrynJo

REVIEW: The Fast & The Furious 6

I am not your typical car enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination. Of course I have my "Become a Super-Hero/Win-the-Lotto Car Wish List" which encompasses my all time favourite '67 Mustang and the neon green Gallardo, and I'm addicted to arcade racing games such as Need For Speed and Daytona (which often transcends to my actual driving techniques, much to my parents dismay).

#1 on my wish list - '67 Mustang

But I think in some ways I'm a closet-petrolhead...given my father's love for Formula One, my brother's ability to change a clutch without having been taught and my boyfriend's penchant for sending me pictures of cars titled "your birthday gift has arrived" and his not so secret crush on Jeremy Clarkson, is it any wonder that I found myself completely enthralled in The Fast & The Furious 6?! Not only was it my favourite in the franchise (After Tokyo Drift.. haha... Jokes!) ... but it's now got a place near Fight Club in my Top 15 favourite movies ever. Please be advised that there may be some spoilers in the text to follow...

The sixth installment of the Fast series picks up just after Dominic Toretto and his gang have gone their separate ways after making a big heist in Rio, in which they all acquired millions, in Fast 5. The "retired" criminals now live all over the world in varying degrees of opulence and luxury. The opening scene shows Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) completing a race they had bet on in the previous film, they end at O'Connor's new home where Mia (Jordana Brewster) has just gone into labour. The opening credits also includes a montage of scenes from the previous films, highlighting all the important moments in the series. The movie centers around Security Service agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) who tracks down Dom and persuades him to help take down Shaw (former British Special Forces soldier) whose crew is wanted for the destruction of a Russian military convoy and other criminal activities. Hobbs entices Dom to reunite his crew by showing him a recent photo of Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dom's former girlfriend, whom he thought was dead. Dominic gathers his crew together and they accept the mission in exchange for full pardons for their past crimes, which will allow them to return home to the United States.

What I liked about the film was that it actually had a well-thought out script as opposed to aimless racing. The scenes shot on location were well choreographed, the use of CGI has improved dramatically and authentic looking fight scenes (my boyfriend's favourite was of course The Michelle Rodriguez (who he thinks I look like) vs Gina Carano fight scene in the London Underground) all added to the experience. There were many moments that had me gripping my chair What the directors have created in the feel of Dom's "family" makes the audience care about what happens to the characters, and not just the lead protagonists, but the others too. By creating a bigger group they have also introduced different levels of relationships and friendships and therefore, more action and "side" stories. The relationship between Han (Sung Kang)  & Gisele (Gal Gadot) adds an element of romance, while the often childish yet humorous banter between Ludacris' character Tej and Tyrese Gibson's Roman adds some comedic relief in a fast-paced, action-packed and downright fun movie!

Either way you look at it, fans of the franchise will most definitely enjoy this movie and the others will probably only be mildly entertained.

What some other critics had to say:

Richard Corliss (Time movie critic): "Five movies after The Fast and the Furious, the 2001 original (which was a loose remake of a 1955 film produced by Roger Corman), what’s left to do with cars? Well, this, from Fast Five: Dom drove a ’66 Corvette Grand Sport sideways out of a speeding freight car to race the train toward an imminent cliff. Then Dom’s blond buddy Brian (Paul Walker) leaped off the train and into the car milliseconds before it plummeted off the cliff and into a river far below. The bonding of the two autoholics was impressive, but not nearly so much as the teamwork of the Fast Five stunt team. In a movie era when dramatic ingenuity is close to evaporating, the complex, split-second choreography of men and cars is an expression of medium-to-high film art.

Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2013/05/20/furious-6-faster-crazycars-thrill-thrill/#ixzz2VQhgo2qj"

Barry Ronge: "This time, however, they have moved well beyond cars. There are multiple trucks, a military-tank and even chase between the cars and plane trying to leave the runway. If you are looking for credible stories, human emotions and moral boundaries, stay away from this film. It’s all about excessive destruction of vehicles of all kinds, but you cannot fail to be amazed by a string of chases, accidents, pile-ups and every kind of destruction you can think of.

The pace is hectic but the stunts are stunning and even though it has a running time of two-hours plus, you don’t feel the length of the film, and nor do you have the time see how entirely impossible and implausible the film is."
 

Tom Charity (CNN, on Rotten Tomatoes): "Ludicrous, but undeniably fun and surprisingly affectionate, this is really all you could ask of a car crash movie, and more."

Some Fast & Furious Fun:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20703023,00.html#21333056