Sep 26, 2018

Movie Review: Amy (2015)

Rating: (5 stars out of 5)
Cast: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson
Director: Asif Kapadia
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Run Time: 2h 8min
Premiere Date: 3 July 2015
Country: United Kingdom
Awards: Academy Awards, USA 2016 | BAFTA Awards 2016 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2016
Price: FREE
Screening Location: Nay Pyi Taw Cinema, Yangon, Myanmar
Event: European Film Festival

Synopsis
The film starts with a young but very promising Amy Winehouse as a very talented and promising jazz singer. It follows her early-year struggles until her meteoric celebrity stardom that was mired with drugs, booze, paparazzi and wrong boyfriend. Her life spiraled out of control until she met a tragic and early death in 2011 from alcohol abuse.

Movie
The film was a mosaic of archived amateur footage of the early years (complete with all the shaking of the camera) through the years with all the ingredients that made up her life - her passion for music, alcohol, drugs, unbridled spirit, loves and up to her body being carried out from a body bag. The film was honest if not for anything else. By the end of the film, you know Amy intimately. And you feel her tragic and senseless death.

Ending Thoughts
I like what Tony Bennet said about her. Amy was as genuine as it gets as a jazz singer, at the level of Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday. With Tony Bennet being around the block too long, he has seen it all. And in conclusion, he said if only Amy lived a little more longer, life would have taught her how to deal with it and survive the gauntlet. But just like the fate of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, it was too much too soon when you are extremely talented and catapulted to fame without the maturity needed to see you through.

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Yangon (city), Myanmar

IMPORTANT PLACES

Yangon International Airport

HOTEL

Beautyland Hotel II - central location, backpacker friendly, affordable, breakfast & laundry included

RESTAURANT

The Social House - Kitchen & Tap - international food, cold beer, chill vibe, fun crowd

CONDO RENTAL-SALE

2 Ward, Mayangone Township - REDUCED !!!, 1950 ft², 2 master bedrooms, full kitchen

USEFUL INFORMATION

How to Get to Downtown Yangon from the Yangon International Airport (RGN)

take the shuttle bus from Airport to Downtown Yangon, it costs MMK 500. It passes through the main artery of Yangon.

Yangon Travel Tips

useful site: Wiki Travel Yangon

USEFUL INFORMATION

(as of Jan 2020)

Myanmar FYI / Travel Tips

accommodation - not all destinations in Myanmar can accommodate foreign travelers. Walk-in hotel guests could be refused. Better make an online booking, or make sure the hotel you wish to stay, at is listed in the online booking sites (Agoda, Booking.com, etc.)
local time - adjust time 30 mins behind from Thailand (if arriving from Thailand)
Burmese people - Burmese people are new to what's happening to Myanmar - being opened-up to the rest of the world. They remain friendly, helpful and curious. Tourism being new, the culture is not yet corrupted by it.

General Travel Tips

arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!

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