Just at the tail end of Earth Hour here .. had a quiet moment so I took a couple of photos on my phone. Quite nice working by candle light. I’d kill for a back-lit keyboard though … I need a mac book pro! I think I’ll keep the candles burning a bit longer .. not quite ready to bring back the light ..

So it’s almost here…In just over an hour… Earth Hour… We at APPLEBOX are very keen to support Earth Hour 2008, we unfortunately can not pull the pin on power completely as we would like to do but… we are turning the lights off. Simon is terrified he won’t be able to see where the discs are!! His son has reminded him that there’s no problem and he will just have to carry the candlestick around! See dad?…. easy!

We at APPLEBOX are already doing our bit in a reduced environmental foot print (it’s part of what we love about our store) and encourage you all to do the same tonight. So get going, find those candles and don’t forget the matches!

To borrow a phrase… It’s time for Simon and I to spend more time “on” the business and less time “in” the business….…(you won’t be rid of us completely though!).

We are looking for a new member of the APPLEBOX team. If you’re interested in working in the flagship store on the new face of DVD rental then we’d like to speak to you! You’ll be part of a start-up business with a dynamic team and strong growth ambitions. We’d love you to stick with us, there will be great opportunities down the track.

Here’s a bit about what we’re looking for…

If this sounds like someone you know please forward the newsletter or guide them to this blog entry. If it’s you then email an application letter and cv to admin@applebox.com.au as soon as you can!

This 1986 film is a classic. A cult favourite, it stars David Bowie as the eccentric villain, and Jennifer Connelly as its young heroine.

I have vivid childhood memories of The Labyrinth, it really freaked me out. I found it quite frightening when I saw it for the first time, and no wonder, for a children’s film it contains some themes that certainly are a little scary. For example, kidnapping, attempted decapitation, some very strange monsters, and of course, an evil David Bowie.

The basic plot is that teenager Sarah must navigate her way through a labyrinth which contains many interesting creatures, to reach a castle and rescue her younger brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by the goblin king (Bowie).

Bowie is at his best as the creepy and flamboyant villain who is besotted with young Sarah. His carefully coiffed blonde mane, series of outrageous and elaborate costumes, and daring eye makeup, on their own make the film well worth the watch. Although, the same couldn’t be said of the figure hugging tights he wears throughout, which prove that children’s films can be frightening for adults too.

Besides its fashions, the Labyrinth is worth seeing for its bizarre characters and use of puppetry. Legendary puppet master Jim Henson directed the film, and his creative genius is evident in every scene. Scenes such as the talking tunnel of hands, and the “fire gang” – the singing creatures who can remove their limbs, and their heads are unmistakeably Henson (this scene terrified me as a child). The wacky sense of comedy, and imagination seen in the film are Henson’s clear influence and make this (his last film before his death) a classic example of his work.

The soundtrack includes original songs by Bowie, for example “Baby Dance”, as well as some grouse synthesiser themes which are absolutely spot on for this 80s camp-fest.

Other highlights include the Escher inspired castle, the comical talking rockfaces, and a lively ostrich hat.

Overall, I think this film has very little wrong with it. The Labyrinth is a classic that captures an era – a great film to watch if you’re feeling a little nostalgic for all that was the 1980s.

The Startups carnival has finished with Scouta taking the line honours. Second went to GoodBarry and third to SuburbView. Well done to all three, and Vishal of course for putting the whole show on.

Interesting though is the complete lack of discussion around all these different businesses. 31 different startups, and I’ve counted a total of 16 comments. Thats pretty poor. I’m no better than anyone else, because I haven’t added to the discussion either (although I did post but it somehow got lost between the captcha, preview and final ok). Not sure why this is (although I’ve never liked blogger for commenting). Is it that we are just antisocial in the Aussie startup space?

Of the top 3, gotta say I really like GoodBarry. The site looks great and I like the business model. If I ever advise a small business in getting online, I’ll be looking more closely at GoodBarry. Scouta looks to have potential, but I can’t get into it because I don’t get into recommendation engines. I’ve never found one that works for me. My feedreeder is chocka with hand picked feeds and I don’t get time to read them all anyway. Finding more content would leave me never doing any work (but I’ll keep tabs on Recommendation Ventures to see how they go). I like SuburbView for it’s simplicity, but agree with the judges in that it needs a tart up.

All in all though, good to see startup activity and people following a vision. I would like to have seen a submission from RebBubble because they look like they’re taking off.

Can anyone provide me with any more information about the stark naked woman who walked purposefully past applebox last night, down railway place to Station St and then proceeded past the shops along there. She didn’t even have a handbag…….Straight after the event a number of customers reported a variety of responses from onlookers including some avoiding looking at her, others jumping in cars to go and find her, one of APPLEBOX’s customers was put off his dinner but no one stopped her and asked her why?!!

What happened to the naked lady?

Why was she naked and walking the streets?

Was it the cool change after a really hot day?

I love Fairfield! sometimes it just cracks me up…

ONCE, written and directed by John Carney.
It’s often those films with the simplest story lines that have the most effect on me. Is it because I can see myself in a similar situation or relate to that person and/ or the subject matter in a way I cant with films with more complex subject matter? I’m not sure. This film is fabulous- a unique love story- or rather a meeting of minds where two strangers form a connection through their love of music, and develop a bond that brings them both a little magic. A touch of beauty in a world that is often a harsh and difficult place to be at some time or another in our lives. The performances are also wonderful and unaffected, and the music fabulous too….5 apples…

ROMANCE &
CIGARETTES,
written and directed by John Turturro
This film is a must see for it’s sheer originality, not to mention watching James Gandolfini breaking into a rendition of Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘A Man Without Love’!! It’s a kind of gritty, yet fun musical set to the classics of springsteen, James brown, Dusty springfield etc..It’s quirky and kooky, and explores the themes of love and hate, life and death, romance and cigarettes with an all star cast. Kate Winslet is divine in this film if you’re a fan, but like I said, it’s the films originality that makes it a stand out , and a must see… 4 apples….

Life Is Beautiful, or La Vita e Bella- directed by Roberto Benigni. Starring Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi.

This film is, quite simply a masterpiece. Why? For me, Roberto Benigni achieves the impossible. A classic piece that captures the horror of the holocaust by means of comedy, Begnini pushes the madness of the nazi regime to the point of absurdity via the manners of a clown, letting imagination and hope triumph over the terror and horror of war.

What is mere slapstick humour in itself in the first half of the film, becomes a weapon and life saver in the second half, as Guido (Roberto Benigni) uses his imagination to shield his son from the horrors of the gas chamber by distracting him with a grand illusion - a pretence in which the camp becomes the site of a game whose first prize is a brand new armoured tank. I love this film and have seen it more times than I can remember. It baffles me in its genius, its humanity, its dignity, and the power and beauty of a fertile imagination in the midst of unthinkable horror and darkness. I marvel in it’s brilliance - if you’ve never seen it, rent it today…..

“The idea suddenly occurred to me. Like Rossini once said that he received his ideas and creativity straight out of the sky. The same thing happened to me. First I hesitated because it seemed too risky. But then I couldn’t do otherwise: I had to make this film. I am in the fortunate position to be able to make the films that I like. In italy, I am a little like steven Speilberg. many warned me about this project. but an artist must be ahead of his audience and not running after them.”
Roberto Benigni, 1998

Interesting facts-
This film was Pope john Paul II’s favourite movie. It won the grand prize of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, then going on to win three academy awards for Best music, best Foreign Language film, and of course, best actor…….

Just reading a post at Read Write Web - Re-localization Opportunities - Local 2.0. It’s about localised services delivered within the Web 2.0 world. Whilst the idea isn’t new, it’s good to see it still being written about. RWW use the term ‘re-localisation’. Here are some choice quotes:

“Re-localization is about locals. It is about people who like being in one place and interacting with neighbors.”

“People don’t live online. Re-localization is all about human interaction face to face. If you think community = online…ahem, get a life!”

This article reflects our take on the strength of the local video store. At APPLEBOX, we’ve been surprised by the quality of the in-store interactions we see. I’ve never seen it in other stores, and I think the reason is this. DVDs held on racks and shelving force you to continually move when searching for a movie. This prevents people connecting, even though they’re in the same space for the same purpose, and are often more than willing to share tips on movie selections. Whereas at APPLEBOX without the shelving, people sit and spend time browsing. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with others or with myself/Sarah/Mara. At times its like a party with all our iMacs being used and people talking all manner of movie info. Of course, for those that don’t want to chat (and I know how that feels), they can find a movie from home and get a 2 minute dose of community vibe without them necessarily being involved. That also works.

I do recognise the raw convenience to future VOD and current mail-order models, but face-to-face community building can only happen one way .. and that’s face to face. People like it. For this reason, I reckon the local video store will always have a place - it’s just gotta find a model that’ll remain viable into the future…

As I mentioned in my last post, Vishal Sharma is running a startups carnival that I was unfortunately late to register for. However Vishal has kindly profiled APPLEBOX as a surprise late entrant, even though we aren’t eligible for judging. You can read our profile here. It will give you some background on our wee little startup and is worth a read. Thanks Vishal!