Hamish .. a festival winning film
March 30, 2009
i went with annie to a film festival in Northcote .. to see a film we heard about on 3RRR the other day.
There were a few short films made for this competition, and “Hamish” was the winner for many good reasons. Really enjoyable film, great character, gentle humour.
Claire Moon has Asperger Syndrom and her sister Hannah wanted to make a documentary about her .. partly to learn how to make movies. Well Hannah learned pretty well, because this film has won more than one award now.
Here’s “Hamish”. i recommend you spend the next 7 minutes watching it.
Taken from you tube.
The competition / festival was for the Women’s Health in the North (WHIN) International Women’s Day (IWD!) celebration.
Wealth of Nations .. hilarious
March 23, 2009
Sam Downing as Agent Smog was delighted when she heard that one audience member had asked, “Who was on the door? She was such a bitch!”
Job well done Sam!!
Tim gave us the brief to be casual and dismissive in our authority as customs agents, interrogating and searching immigrants to the Wealth of Nations Nut Economy by Sanctum Theatre.
Of course Tim has the expertise as Sergeant Blank from the Watch-house. He knows all about tormenting people who refuse to acknowledge his authority or try to play funny games.
Nice to be directed by a master of his craft.
This was an hilarious evening, as people scrambled to purchase their local currency (peanuts) while the exchange rates went up and down. Tim and Lachy revisited their “Battle of Civilisations” in Michael Camilleri’s huge city-costumes of Gog and Magog.
The Kurts gave us fine music.
The red lentil soup was divine.
Nobody got arrested.
Gran Torana makes me cry
March 22, 2009
i’ve never been a big fan of Clint Eastwood, but i must now admit he is a genius. Went to see Gran Torino with michael on the weekend, and i was in floods of tears.
Can’t write too much about it here because i don’t have any way to conceal the spoiler effect .. but the grumpy old man character arc i found astonishing, refreshing, touching!
And yes, when i thought the movie would be about a car, because i kept mispronouncing it Torana .. turns out i was right about that.
So i’m off to the Movie Reel in Westgarth to stock up on Clint’s back stories.
Have you seen the movie, and did it make you cry?
photo credit: ben_templesmith
Theatre twice in one day
March 16, 2009
Some days are just brilliant. The Melbourne theatre scene is alive and well.
i was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of Roundangle‘s latest – “in the dark” – which promises to be very enjoyable and innovative. (Part of the Art of Difference festival.)
It was an early dress rehearsal, so Jodie would say things like, “You have to imagine a long screen here. You can’t see those people.” .. and “Okay now it’s a complete blackout, so close your eyes please.”
Later that night Zeena and i headed to the recently rescued La Mama in Carlton for a fabulous evening with Moira and Yumi’s “Salon de Dance“.
Gritty, sexy, horrific in places .. as you’d expect from those hellish dancers; and romantic in an old-school kind of way.
This show opened with a priest stripping down to his red-crucifixed knickers. Hilarious! and raunchy.
Yumi wrestling with her jacket, a couple of young Town Bikes apprentices dancing out an actual wrestling match, Moira slow-dancing with a cigarette on Highway 66. All fun.
The centre-piece was Moira and Yumi playing out a Gothic feast, beginning with the tall one eerily peering through the window .. and ending with an outrageous red wine splash-o-rama.
Gorgeous.
Funny video about cheese
January 31, 2009
Nathan has been camping out here at the Barkly St .. not only has he been an angel to live with, and inducted me into the world of Nintendo Wii, but also shared crazy stories like the Zombie Street Sign Hacker of Texas .. and this video he made with his hilarious friends.
i recommend you watch it.
Who ate the cheese?
Somewhere, there must be a link to more videos like this .. yes, here: Justin Juswah has a youTube channel.
Heroes .. a new obsession
January 14, 2009
Nearly finished Deadwood and Life on Mars, so i was definitely in need of a new DVD obsession. Fortunately the strange futuristic evolutionary tales of “Heroes” were filling the gap nicely.
Similar to the genetically-modified characters of Dark Angel, the mutants of X-men, and also the returned “altered” people in the world of the 4400. This one concerns people who are developing new skills and talents .. the next step in human evolution. In the future, everyone will be Superman, Spidergirl .. Catwoman; able to use their own special powers for good .. or evil.
If i could have a superpower, i would definitely be able to fly. Save so much hassle at airports, and cut down on carbon footprint too.
Or maybe radiate peace and love from my heart into the world around me, so that people around me experience balance and a deep sense of personal safety. That would be cool.
Give me comment please:
What would your superhuman power be?
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PS: when i came to Phnom Penh, all i really wanted to see was the rest of Season One. Fortunately Katie discovered the series and shared my fascination. We got through the whole 23 episodes in 3 days!! How outrageously self-indulgent.
Just a few loose threads in the plot at the end of it all ..
.
photo credit: TCM Hitchhiker
photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert
bunch of new music 2listen2
November 26, 2008
Spent a Saturday last week indulging whims.
Started off watching films at the HRAAF festival (Human Rights) ..about disappearing islands in the Pacific (eg the Carteret Islands off Bougainville). One of Georgie’s films was featured.. her NGO Pacific Black Box got young people to make films about the local effects of climate change. (Mentioned this on my work blog.)
The session was called: “Reel Change”
Really good films that could have an impact. There was a woman from Tuvalu and a man from the MakePovertyHistory campaign. They held a forum and spoke after the film.
Anyway i felt i needed to make a change, and stimulate the economy ..
ok i just went therapy shopping. And came back with the latest in
Buffy season 8: “Time of your life pt3“.- Plus a book length comic about Fray, the Slayer from the future.
Must Read Now.
Not only that but when i arrive home, i remember that there are many new CD’s in my bag from recent CD launches. eg
- “a young man’s death” from The New Black,
- “Dictation” by Pikelet, and
- Applecore 08.
gray taylor was magnificent at the Qua / Mountains in Sky album launch, supported by the Stars of the Night Pikelet. i would have bought the Qua CD too but they’d run out.
i go now .. i Prepare 2Listen.
ooo.
from deceased estate, to dance-a-thon 6000
October 17, 2008
What a great fringe festival! i’ve only been to three or four events but i’m sure i chose the best ones:
- Deceased Estate by Roundangle
- Don’t Cut my Fringe Straight at 3RRR
- the fully enjoyable dance-athon 6000 from the Town Bikes and known associates ..
oh the Town Bikes .. how ever did the world manage without them, way back in the 20th century?? That’s right, we had the Butt Funky troupe of mischief-makers. Along with their buddies .. the magical dj marieke, the hot slush puppies and more, they roused the crowd into a wet and wild state of krumpy frenzy. Yum.
( What’s this video .. a Town Bikes showreel? They are fun. i love them. )
Deceased Estate was insanely wonderful. Many old stories from the history of an East Brunswick house. Blindfolded sessions, of course, down the side of the house. Shadow theatre, hot milo and monsters in the backyard, a neighbourly dinner party in the front yard with the original family back in 1946.
Harry pours scotch for the gents and tells us he’s delighted that Chifley’s at the helm. The 1940′s couple freeze, as we flash forward to a teenager climbing out the window and listening to Joy Division on her walkman.
.. the live event at 3RRR was a thoroughly weird adventure. Pikelet and Qua were on the bill, so i’d thought it would be fun. Bum Creek started off the action with their bizarre journey into sound .. and the night looked promising. One guy had invented an instrument made out of old coils and springs .. he was hilarious and i wish i’d gotten a photograph.
Ah Melbourne – joy and delight and wonderful weirdness at every turn!
Theatrical Joy
October 7, 2008
i’ve had such a good run of great theatre!
- That Kid’s Show that Lynne took me to see, oh what was it called, with The Woman from the Kransky Sisters (Christine) .. um ..
- Miracle Man by Bernard and Bruce
- Yana Alana and the Paranas by Sarah Ward (aka MC Eila of Sista She)
- The Plains directed by Lachlan for his VCA Masters (brilliant puppetry)
..and now, The Burlesque Hour. Finally after four years of waiting i have seen the show. Very delightful, and completely insane. We love our theatre insane. Moira Finucane pouring milk all over herself has to be seen. Azaria Universe doing a Zombie routine on the trapeze. Yumi Umiumare’s Japanese schoolgirl is such a funny way to start the show, and her kimono striptease was extraordinary and touching.
Oooh i love it.
Annie and i agreed that The Town Bikes could have been given two appearances really .. they are so good. Look at this if you haven’t seen them:
Multi-sensory theatre .. anticipation
September 29, 2008
i am a huge fan of Roundangle theatre .. the multi-sensory works of Will and Jodie. eg Source/Sauce which was so good that it won many awards.
So it was a buzz to be drawn into their blindfolded conga line at hi vibes.
“Hey Will, how are you?” i said.
“Do you want to join our conga line?” he replied, “.. just put on this blindfold.”
The experience was pretty much my highlight of the day. Several people blindfolded, walking through that enormous crowd, joined only at the shoulders. Will sent directions from the back via hand-on-shoulder touch: stop, go, left or right. Crowds swarmed around us, murmuring and shouting ..
How could i resist booking a ticket for closing night of the play, Deceased Estate .. this saturday.
Here’s Jodie talking about the Source/Sauce experience.
Idol the New Season Begins
September 15, 2008
Well, Clem Bastow from Defamer has posted his / her round up of the first week for the top twelve, and i must say i agree entirely with his perspective. Everyone i texted after the session agreed that Madame took the evening. i’d say we’re in for a really good season.
Is Clem a boy’s name? it is, isn’t it. i wonder if Clem is related to Nick and Polly.
Defamer seems to write a thousand posts a day .. i don’t know who they are or how they do it, but there’s nothing like an unhealthy obsession with trash culture to keep you going sometimes.
dvd winter
September 12, 2008
Many people know that i’ve spent the entire winter holed up in bed watching dvd of television programs. Yes it’s true, i watched
- the complete first season of Brothers and Sisters. Aaaagh.
- the mighty boosh, season three
- Torchwood, the Welsh spinoff from Doctor Who
- a few episodes of the totally trashy American Gothic
- Flight of the Conchords, again
- re-runs of Firefly, Buffy ..
Brothers and Sisters had me hooked from the start. Such compelling-ly mad characters. It was fun in B&S watching Calista Flackheat and Rachel Griffiths’ lips compete for whose could be the most wobbly due to puffy injections.
Mighty Boosh is of course beyond compare.
.. and now i’ve found something new, something i hadn’t seen before .. Life on Mars. Ooh it’s good. Unfortunately the first time round, the Movie Reel gave me disks 1 and 4 in the same case .. so i’ve had to wait for the next instalment.
American Gothic was strange, because it was promising .. but so disappointingly Lame. There’s one sheriff in town who rules the place with his mysterious psychic powers – and regular murdering – but somehow he doesn’t use his powers against the main heroes. The heroes are irritatingly pathetic. Not recommended.
Redneck Competition?
November 22, 2007
Jon Faine asked me if Cairns was competing to be the most ignorant, rednecked place in Australia. i said it was in the running, but that this was just one pub. Let’s not go overboard with the generalisation, i tried to imply.
(But respectfully. Faine is one superhero.
(Link to interview below 
Before i state that abusing people (and their cities) because of their behaviour isn’t always helpful, i’d like to add that Sydney is still in the lead for that competition, after the Cronulla riots of 2005.
A couple of people getting kicked out of a pub really doesn’t compete with that.
When you add in all the dog whistling coming out of another NSW town .. Canberra, then Cairns isn’t in the running at all. Did i say Canberra? Maybe the messages of fear and suspicion, of hatred and social division, have been emerging from Kiribilli all along.
So lets leave Cairns out of it. Cairns is a beautiful city full of wonderful people. So is Sydney. Wonderful people that deserve all the safety and first-rate public education we can muster.
Still, by crikey, i know what Jon meant: don’t you wish we’d all just get over it. 
Calm right down. Get mentally healthier, and see things in perspective.
Don’t shoot Brasilians because we think they look Middle Eastern and carry a backpack on the Tube. Stop blaming minorities for our global imbalances.
Elect governments that are far less committed to spreading social division and fear like honey on toast (just to conceal their out-of-balance economics).
Fund public education properly, so that people have a clue about how to live in this world.
(Link to radio: chalk on faine, abc melbourne, mornings (thursday – nope you’ve missed it now)
.. but i might have a copy if you missed out. Okay, here’s a listening device:
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Thanks for reading.
(thanks kalandrakas at flickr for “how to pray the japanese way“; abc images used without permission)
