Hey guys!
the summer holidays are here, yay!
Since the last newsletter there was a tornado in South Moravia that struck several villages and destroyed them. Reportedly this was one of the deadliest such event in Europe in this century. You can read more about the tragedy HERE. If possible it would be awesome if you could help out some of the people HERE.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Movie, 2009
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wholesome and charming stop-animation movie about a fox that has to leave his wild days behind him when he starts his own family. After a few years of domestic life he starts to crave the adventure again and thus decides to rob three nearby farms. Everything is going great, until the three farmers decide that they’ve had enough and want to kill Mr. Fox and his family.
The movie is based on a children book written by Roald Dahl and is a prime example of movie adaptation being better than the original. It was adapted for screen by the director of the movie Wes Anderson (also directed The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Royal Tenenbaums). He is one of those directors that have not made a bad movie in his career. Even though he usually directs live action, Anderson’s symmetrical cinematography and masterful use of space in every frame is still apparent here.
What I love about the movie is that it is really funny. It is filled with witty jokes and hilarious visual gags; animals going frenzy whenever they eat something, Mrs. Fox literally glowing when stated that she is glowing, characters saying “cuss” instead of the real cuss word, and many more. I also really admire the stop animation. Such animation is in general really complex and expensive, but when it is done well it is worth every penny. It is complimented with on-point voice acting performances (Notably, George Clooney as Mr. Fox, and Willem Dafoe as Rat). George Clooney is in a way playing a heightened version of his Danny Ocean character from the Oceans’ trilogy and you can consider this movie as a spiritual sequel to the movies.
So, if you are in the mood for a feel good movie that is well directed and is genuinely funny, this one might be for you!
Here is a scene of Mr. Fox meeting the Rat:
Glasstype
YouTube Channel
Roughly once a month I discover a new channel on YouTube that is awesome. Most of them are already big channels with over a million subscribers, but SOMETIMES you discover a small channel with great potential doing something interesting and unique. That is exactly what Glasstype is.
Glasstype is a channel where a New Zealand based Indian guy picks a Bollywood film and breaks it down. The selection of the movies is absurd. The first video he made is about a Bollywood remake of Fight Club. Then there’s a remake of Silence of the Lambs with a creepy Hannibal Lector. There is also a Indian Star Wars… the absurdity goes on. I must emphasis that not all Bollywood movies are like the ones chosen for the channel, but during the first decade of this century such movies were the norm in Indian cinema and have generally aged poorly. However, the more modern movies have dramatically updated their production value and with it the overall increased quality of the movies (at least that is the case for the movies I have watched)
Although the absurdity of the movies are the main draw, Glasstype’s breakdowns are funny and the deadpan delivery of the commentary really adds to the enjoyment. He has also implemented short skits during the videos, further showcasing how stupid some of the plot points. He main drawback of this recommendation is that he doesn’t post regularly or that often, but whenever there is a new vide you can be sure that I am hitting that play button ASAP.
Here is a list of some of his videos:
- Bollywood Simp to Chad (INSANE TRANSFORMATION) | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Review/Reaction
- Indian Star Wars Is Amazing
- WORST TIME TRAVEL MOVIE EVER MADE! | Love Story 2050
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break
Book, 2018
Growing up I read a lot of self-development books. After a while all of them sounded the same, and because hard to implement. Amidst this jungle of self-proclaimed life-changing wisdom, there are a few gems that have actually helped me implement systems that have overall helped my productivity and how I organize my life.
Atomic Habits is a book I discovered in my current wave of enthusiasm to improve myself and I have to admit that it seems like one of the gems I mentioned above. It focuses on habits but more on an overall approach to create systems that help you create habits. The mindset of tiny changes leading to great results over time is also emphasized. It makes you focus on an overall mindset change rather than outcome based goals.
To give you an example of the theory, according to the first chapter if you want to go to the gym, then having the goal of having a six-pack is not really ideal. It is better to have the mindset of “I am an active person, so I will go to the gym” rather than “I want a six-pack, so I need to go to the gym”. This change of perspective to focus more on identity change rather than outcome change can result in a higher success rate. At least it is helping me as of now, let’s see how long that lasts.
This is just a sneak peak of what is in the book. There are some exercises and tools that are a part of the books that will make the implementation easier.
That’s all for now folks!
Until next time, yours truly,
Starboy