2008 Wrap up!

I'm a day late, but:

2008, The year of:

• CHANGE (Obama, med-acting switch, Syd-Melb switch)

• DEATH, especially of creative icons (Actors before their time - Heath Ledger, Brad Renfro, Guillaume Depardieu, Mark Priestley, Greats - Dorothy Porter, Michael Crichton, Anthony Minghella, Paul Newman, Harold Pinter, Rob Guest, Jorn Utzon, Personal - friend's father etc)

• TRAVEL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS (the Olympics, London)

• FRIENDS

• THE CREATIVE RETURN

And of course, best ofs this year:

Film

• I've Loved You So Long (Kristin Scott Thomas was incredible, as was the director-writer.)
  
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (amazing)
  
• In Bruges
• The Savages
• Mamma Mia! (purely because it was soo much fun!)
• Hunger (all gorgeous, but especially engrossing was the 20 minute long scene with the pastor)
• The Darjeeling Limited (something very charming about that movie)
• Juno (lots of fun)

DVD

• Pan's Labyrinth (very haunting)
  
• Letters from Iwo Jima (great story/direction)

Theatre (Commercial)

• A Disappearing Number (mind-boggling).
  
• Sid's Waltzing Masquerade (not all of it).
• The Makropoulos Secret (first opera I liked)
• Au Revoir La Parapluie
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (magical)
  
• The Revenger's Tragedy (need I say more?)
• Hamlet (David Tennant and Patrick Stewart)

Theatre (Independent)

• Stoning Mary
  
• Tender (Heather Mitchell, really)
  
• Ruhe (the men's choir mainly)
  
• Terminus (the poetry)
  
• Pornography (well directed)
• Big Shoot (Denis Lavant = incredible)
• The Angel and the Woodcutter

Wish I'd seen: Rock N Roll Highway, Hamlet (Bell Shakespeare), pool (no water), Billy Elliott, The Modern International Dead, Scorched, etc...oh well.

Books

• A Director Prepares (I live by this)
  
• The Kite Runner (heart-wrenching despite its occasional sentimentality)
  
• Wuthering Heights (I really liked this!)
• Josh Hartnett definitely wants to do this (re-read - but I love that man!)
• The Actor and the Text (I quite like this, it's very practical and I like the way Cicely Berry writes her thoughts and advice)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (of course)
• Nocturne (Adam Rapp's prose is beautiful. Shame it's a play!)

This is really very shocking. I have to improve my novel reading habits.

Performances/Actors

• Channing Tatum (Stop-Loss)
• Jason Schwartzmann (Darjeeling)
  
• Edward Norton (The Painted Veil)
• Laura Linney (everything)
• Yael Stone (Stoning Mary)
• Heather Mitchell (Tender)

Moments I was glad for this year:

• Getting into drama school :)
• Finding friends who were my creative and emotional equals.
• Cementing my creative and emotional friendships with the female friends who have always been there and will continue to be. This year has really highlighted it for me. I love you all.
• The Beijing Opening Ceremony. Oh my god.
• Doing classes at the Griffin, feeling petrified, and discovering Anne Bogart! I think that was the most life-advancing moment for me this year. So much self-doubt. And only two weeks!
• Crushing so badly on R, because it made me realise that's not what I wanted at all.

Moments I regret:

• Letting the Olympics go by me. Watching the Opening Ceremony, I was sad that I hadn't let myself enjoy being part of the global community. Especially in a country that is my heritage and pride. Oh well, next one.
• Letting most of Europe go by me. Oh well. Next time I'll have my head screwed on.
• That's probably about it.

Onto 2009!