2022: the lists

Books

Well, my reading year was well up on last year's dismal 57 books, but I only got 91 in this year. 

For those playing at home, here is how the 91 break down.

13 Fiction titles

7 Books of poetry - I wanted to get back into Poetry this year and I loved it!

42 Non-Fiction titles

29 Memoirs

37 by men

46 by women

8 by multiple authors

12 LGBTQIA

38 Australian

2 Foreign

12 POC

I am finding myself busier than ever and that means less reading time AND I find myself constantly struggling to get into some books. For this I blame COVID and devices, there is a lot of research that says devices can stall the brain a bit in terms of memory and patience. So in 2023 I will endeavour to bridge that gap!

I will say that of those 91 books there were a lot of great books, so narrowing it down was quite difficult, but here they are!

TOP 20 BOOKS

1. Love Stories - Trent Dalton - non-fiction/memoir

2. Loud - Tana Douglas - rock memoir

3. Diaries Vol 1-3 - Helen Garner - memoir as such, but so much more

4. Nina Simone's Gum - Warren Ellis - memoir/museums/esoteric

5. Faith, Hope and Carnage - Nick Cave and Sean O'Hagan - rock memoir

6. Happy-go-lucky - David Sedaris - humour/memoir

7. Solitary Walk on the Moon - Hilde Hinton - Australian fiction

8. A Pocketful of Happiness - Richard E Grant - memoir

9. Left on the Tenth - Delia Ephron - memoir

10. Mirka Mora - Sabine Cotte - art/memoir

11. Alchemy - Wendy Sharpe and Kate Forsyth - art and poetry

12. Ciao Bella - Kate Langbroek - travel

13. Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here - Heather Rose - memoir

14. One Hundred Days - Alice Pung - Australian fiction

15. Drop Bear - Evelyn Araluen - poetry

16. Call Us What We Carry - Amanda Gorman - poetry

17. All About Me - Mel Brooks - memoir

18. This Much Is True - Miriam Margolyes - memoir

19. Unsheltered - Barbara Kingsolver - US fiction

20. You've got to be kidding - Todd Alexander - travel/memoir

TOP 20 TV

Again, so much amazing, it is hard to pick faves.

1. Barry S3

2. Fisk S2

3. Only Murders in the Building

4. Our Flag Means Death 

5. The Mandalorian

6. Obi Wan Kenobi

7. Collin from Accounts 

8. White Lotus S2

9. The Twelve

10. Hacks S2

11. Better Call Saul

12. Curb Your Enthusiasm S11

13. Kominksy Method 1-3

14. Insecure final season

15. Upright S2

16. Lupin S1

17. Love Me

18. Anne with an E

19. Flight Attendant S2

20. Julia

Special Mentions:

The Walking Dead
Doctor Who Finale

TV Doco/Reality

I am not a huge fan of reality, but there are some gems that stick out.

1. The Great British Bake Off - baking -cakes and Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas!!!

2. Take 5 with Zan Rowe - music

3. Gogglebox - tv

4. The Sparks Brothers - music doco

5. Harry Potter Reunion - movie doco

6. Escape to the Chateau - French chateau DIY

7. Great Southern Landscapes - art

8. Old People's Home for Teenagers - sociology

9. Super Bob Einstein Film - comedy doco

10. KISSStory - music doco

11. Andy Warhol Diaries - art doco

12. Pistol - music series

13. Devolution: Devo theory - music doco

14. Adrienne - film/memoir doco

15. The Sit In: Harry Belafonte - tv, social justice doco

16. Salinger - author doco

17. The Parisian Agency - Paris real estate reality show

18. The Painter and the thief - art doco

19. Spike Lee: NYV Epicentres - NY doco

20. The Story of late Night - tv dodoc

Special Mentions: Zoo and Animal Shows: Aussie Snake Wrangles, The Zoo (Set in the Bronx), Who's who in the zoo (Taronga Zoo), Crikey: It's the Irwins.

Movies

I saw more movies than I realised, and most of them were really good!

1. Elvis

2. Nightmare Alley

3. Apollo 10 1/2

4. Days of Bagnall Summer

5. Weird Al

6. Moonage Daydream

7. Licorice Pizza

8. The Lost Daughter

9. Parallel Mothers

10. Belfast

11. Dune

12. Power of the Dog

13. Drive My Car

14. Quiet Place II

15. The Batman

16. Spiderman: no way home

17. Freeguy

18. Tick Tick Boom

19. Ammonite

20. Annette

Podcasts

So many amazing podcasts, so in no order, cause it is difficult to judge.

WTF continues to shine, it never gets old, Marc is utterly brilliant and his episode with Neil Gaiman was particularly so!

Ditto for Alan Alda's Clear and Vivid, and he had some great ones, including back to back episodes with Max and Mel Brooks.

Bang on and Chats 10 still make me smile.

I rediscovered Alec Baldwin's Here's the Thing, so much to catch up on.

Smartless, Unspooled, Strong Songs remain entertaining.

The Briefing and New Yorker Radio give me my news.

And two newies, one from ANderson Cooper about grief, and one from Brett Goldstein about film.

And as always, Conversations with Richard Fidler is the gold standard.

Music

1. Special - Lizzo

2. Palomino - First Aid Kit

3. Carnage - Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

4. 30 - Adele

5. Fossora - Bjork

6. Love Will Be Reborn - Martha Wainwright

7. Cry Forever - Amy Shark

8. Raise the Roof - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

9. Penny Century re-release - The Clouds

10. Beauty and the Beat re-release - The Go Gos

OSCAR WATCH 2023: the next day

Well yesterday was a delight!

I used to always take the day of The Academy Awards off so as not to have anything spoiled for me. It sounds silly, but it's my thing. However, for the past few years it has fallen on my roster day, so that is good. And I have been crazy busy juggling a lot this past few months. So I slept in, and then spent the day in my PJs on the couch at Club Cathy. I even outsourced my lunch, getting in a fabulous feed of Honey Prawns. After the show finished, I took a nap, then pottered on online reading what people thought and looking at pics of the red carpet before heading for a massage. A total me day and it was divine.

I thought the show was a solid good. I have definitely seen much better - but not for a long while - but it was most certainly the best in many years.

Mainly becasue the film I wanted to win...won...but more on that later.

Jimmy Kimmell, I wasn't much of a fan the first time he hosted, but I have watched more of his tonight show since and he has really grown on me. He works because he doesn't push the envelope too much. His entrance worked, he was funny (well, he made me laugh) and his serving of Smith was just about right. He kept things flowing and didn't get in then way. I miss the days of Billy, but time marches on.

I like celebratory packages and tributes and we really didn't get any of that. They are really going to have to lift their game in 5 years when it is the 100th anniversary. I remember the 70th and 75th anniversaries and they had a huge bit where everyone they could get there that had won an Oscar lined up for a 'class' photo, it was such a wonderful and emotional moment, seeing all those amazing stars together on stage.

This was a good year for music and original song, so the performances were all amazing - Lady Ga Ga, Rhianna, David Byrne particularly.

The presenters all did their job but no one really stood out as as super entertaining.

Everyone was all where is Tom Cruise and Jim Cameron - who cares, can't stand either of them!

Poor Harrison seemed more uncomfortable than his usual self, Glenn Close was meant to be his co-presenter but couldn't make it. But it was very nice to see Indy embrace Short Round on the big stage.

Which brings me to the winners. I haven't been so delighted about the winners in a long, long time. I wish there was a tie (it's happened!) so Austin Butler could have gotten one too. My pick up until a few days out had been Brendan Fraser but the ground swell felt like it was for Austin so I changed my mind. But that is ok.

The EEAAO trio of Michelle Yeoh (who I christened Michelle Yawwwo - as in hot - many years ago when I saw her in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ke Huy Quan had me in tears. Exceptional speeches, emotional and lovely for all. Ditto for Brendan Fraser. The additional awards for EEAAO including Best Picture were icing on the cake for what was my favourite by far going into the show.

I got 16 correct which is pretty good, I have done far worse and I have done much better. I got Best Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Costume and Make up, Production and Sound wrong. Here is a link to my predictions

The only controversial moment - that I could find - happened on the red carpet and really it was nothing. Hugh Grant has been slandered for being rude to some dopey chick asking dopey questions on the red carpet. I am not surprised about this, as those red carpet moments are usually tedious and dull when someone who knows nothing about film tries to ask 'meaningful' (sooooo not meaningful) questions. And this is what happened, like Harrison, Hugh is always a bit dour about such occasions, and always self-deprecating. So she asked a series of dopey questions where he started with a very witty comment that went completely over her head. When asked what he felt about the day he referenced it as a Vanity Fair. She thought he meant the big after party thrown by the magazine, Vanity Fair, which of course took it's name from that phrase. I think after that, he was get me out of here and answered short and quick, don't blame him. But the icing on the cake when she asked him about his role in Glass Onion and he said he was on screen for 3 seconds. I didn't even know he was in the film, so spoiler! Poor Hugh the media and I use that term very loosely do not care for him.

My favourite moments were - in no order - the Original Score winners singing their thank yous to the tune of The Carpenters, Top of the World, Jenny the donkey, Jimmy calling out his 'men' who would mess anyone up who even tried to get up on the stage a la Smith, Pedro Pascal (swoon), and David Byrne wearing the hotdog fingers (always a fan of big!) whilst singing his best song nom!

The red carpet and the Fashion was mostly sedate with whites, creams and silvers the trend of the evening, but there was some well need splashes of colour and some great suits from the men.

This, from Jessica Chastain, was my standout favourite. Fitted her perfectly, the black outline lifted the silver and made her look Ava Gardner goddess. Lovely necklace and hair work perfectly too.

My follow-up was Sandra oh, for the well-needed splash of colour, a lovely tangerine, that looked amazing on her, the draping look comfy but old hollywood, her hair fabulous as always and that necklace, oh my!

Here are the rest of my picks:

And that's a wrap for another year!

OSCAR WATCH 2023

OK, here we go, I haven't had a lot of time to ponder this year nor see a lot of the films, and I haven't had a lot of time to do my research on the lesser categories.

As always, who will win and who I would like to win.

I don't do the later if I have not seen enough films.

And not long to see how poorly I fared!

Best Picture

I haven't seen Triangle of Sadness, Tar, or Avatar but I do not think they would get up. I have seen the rest bar All Quiet on the Western Front and it could be a contender. As could The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis or The Fablemans. I don't think Women Talking is a contender, nor is Top Gun. The only film I would be happy to see beat EEAAO is Elvis. I am sticking with EEAAO because it IS everything!

Who Will Win: Everything, Everywhere All at Once

Who Should Win: Everything, Everywhere All at Once

Director

Only seen 3 of the 5 nominated, but I think it will be The Daniels. EEAAO is a remarkable film, with remarkable direction, I think they will get up and I want them to,

Who Will Win: The Daniels

Who Should Win: The Daniels

Actor in a Leading Role

I have seen all performances except Bill Nighy's, and they are all fine. This is difficult, it will be between Brendan Fraser for The Whale or Austin Butler for Elvis. Fraser's performance is a transformation and heartbreaking and he has had a revival of sorts, but how many people saw that little film? Butler also transformed, but in such a way there were moments you could not tell the difference between him and the real deal.  It really could go either way, I have no idea who will win. Can't they both?

Who Will Win: Austin Butler for Elvis

Who Should Win: Austin AND Brendan

Actress in a Leading Role

This is another tough one, Cate Blanchett is winning a lot but so is Michelle Yeoh. I think that Michelle is more than deserving and Cate already has 2 Oscars and you know she will have more opportunities. Again, can't they both win.
The others don't come close

Who Will Win: Michelle Yeoh For EEAAO

Who Should Win: Michelle AND Cate

Actor in a Supporting Role

This is a slam dunk, Ke Huy Quan will win for EEAAO, there are some great performances in this category, but I think our beautiful friend will win.
He is the glue that holds that film together and gets 2 amazing moments PLUS he has a great story, is adorable and everyone loves him! Short Round for the Golden Boy

Who Will Win: Ke Huy Quan for EEAAO

Who Should Win: Ke Huy Quan for EEAAO 

Actress in a Supporting Role

This is not as easy as it looks, everyone is a contender and a heavy weight. The money is on Jamie Lee Curtis and I think she will win, but Kerry Condon could pull an upset. She was strong in that film. Hong Chau was perfect in The Whale and Stephanie Hsu probably should win, she was phenomenal.

Who Will Win: Jamie Lee Curtis for EEAAO

Who Should Win: Stephanie Hsu for EEAAO

Original Screenplay

There are some great screenplays in this category but EEAAO is so very original, how can it not win!?

Who Will Win: EEAAO

Who Should Win: EEAAO

Adapted Screenplay

This is a little more complex, I think All Quiet on the Western Front will win but Women Talking could also pull it off, a nod for all the amazing Sarah Polley does.

Who Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front

Who Should Win: Women Talking

International Feature

Slam dunk, All Quiet on the Western Front

Who Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front

Animated Featured

Again, another slam dunk, Pinocchio

Who Will Win: Pinocchio

Documentary Feature

From my research, Navalny looks the likely contender

Who Will Win: Navalny

Original Score

All Quiet has been talked up in all my research but never under-estimate a sentimental vote for an aging John Williams for The Fabelmans

Who Will Win: The Fabelmans

Original Song

Don't know alot about these, but everyone is predicting Naatu, Naatu from RRR

Who Will Win: Naatu Naatu from RRR

Cinematography

This looks likely to go to All Quiet. I haven't seen enough to say

Who Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front

Costume Design

From what I have seen, everyone is a contender here, but I think Elvis will get this, giving Catherine Martin another Oscar to add to her 4, so maybe that will mean a big no. 

Who Will Win: Elvis

Who Should Win: Elvis

Editing

If you have seen EEAAO, this has to go to them

Who Will Win: EEAAO

Who Should Win:  EEAAO

Makeup and Hairstyling

This seems to be between Elvis and The Whale. I think Elvis will get it, it is the showier of the two.

Who Will Win: Elvis

Who Should Win: Elvis

Production Design

Babylon is getting a lot of buzz for this, but Elvis is also remarkable. I am unsure.

Who Will Win: Babylon

Who Should Win: Elvis

Sound

Oh vey, another difficult one, between Top Gun and All Quiet

Who Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front

Visual Effects

Another slam dunk and this time for Avatar

Who Will Win: Avatar

Animated Short

My research says The Boy, The Mole and having read that book I think yes.

Who Will Win: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Hare

Live-Action Short

This is between Le Pupille and An Irish Goodbye. I have no idea.

Who Will Win:  An Irish Goodbye

Documentary Short

Stranger at the Gate and The Elephant Whisperer. 

Who Will Win: The Elephant Whisperer

OSCAR FILMS REVIEWS 2023

The list of Oscar Films I watched this year is very small. I have been very busy and lucky to have squeezed these in. Oh to have the privilege of time...

What I have seen I have - mostly - been impressed with. Some categories are going to be very hard to predict this year, but some should be a slam dunk!

Stay tuned for my Prediction blog very soon.

Aftersun

This is a lovely film about a daughter reminiscing about a holiday in Turkey she had with her father when she was 11. It is interspliced with moments from the present and is ambiguous regarding their relationship. The film is a coming-of-age film for young Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, showing wisdom well beyond her years. Paul Mescal is utterly beautiful, as a caring Dad with a whole lot of problems and worries. He spends the holiday trying to give his daughter the best holiday he can, while skillfully hiding some worries and mental health issues. Whilst there is a melancholy feel to the film, it is just lovely and beautiful.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Another gem from Martin McDonagh, set on the stunning island of Inisherin, off the west coast of Ireland. The island is very isolated and the people few. A few threads run through the film, with the main one being the fractured friendship between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, which escalates over the film. Their performances are great, as are the supporting cast, particularly, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan. Everyone's story has tragedy within, but is shown with dry humour, as only the Irish can.  The landscape and cinematography is stunning, and the animals lovely, especially a donkey called Jenny who steals the film. My only issue was the main storyline seemed a little contrived, but that's just me.

Elvis

I went into Elvis very wary. I love Baz, but he always crosses the line and goes too far, if he had a little more restraint he could be making masterpieces. I am a big Elvis fan, I have been to Graceland, I wanted this to be great, but was worried. Also this is a big life to fit into a film. I still think it should have been a trilogy (called American Trilogy - get it!?) 50s, 60s, 70s. But what Baz did was clever, he picked 2 elements and concentrated on that - the relationship between Elvis and The Colonel and his performances, which is right up Baz's alley. The film was phenomenal, and that is mostly due to Austin Butler's perfect performance. I couldn't believe how spot on he was. He was what pulled everything together. The supporting cast were great and the design and costumes - as always - perfection. And of course, the music was great, how could it not be.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

This is easily my favourite film of what I've seen. It is utterly brilliant, and whilst it certainly pulls it ideas from many films that have gone before it, the way these threads are pulled together are unique. This film made me laugh and cry, but mostly it just made me smile.

Evelyn and Waymond - played by the goddess, Michelle Yeoh and international treasure, Ke Huy Quan - are a married couple who run a failing laundromat and about to undergo an audit. Their teenage daughter, Joy - standout Stephanie Hsu - has just come out as a lesbian and Evelyn's formidable father, Gong Gong - James Hong, remarkable character actor in his 90s - had come to stay with them after many years of being estranged. They head to the IRS office to meet with Deidre - played by the utterly brilliant Jamie Lee Curtis - and that is where things start to happen. 

From here it is diffiult to explain but not too complicated or confusing to watch. Basically there are multiple universes of the characters, fractured from choices they have made in their lives. But the multiverse is being threatened by a monster and Evelyn must detroy the monster to get their lives back on track. And this is where the actors really get to flex their acting chops, from action to comedy to drama, they are simply outstanding. I have already watched this film twice, not because I had to but because I wanted to, and you see so much more on multiple watchings, I will watch again. Michelle Yeoh is fucking phenomenal, as is Jamie Lee Curtis. James Hong - especially for his age - is witty and nimble. Stephanie Hsu holds her own and then some amongst these established actors. But it was Ke Huy Quan who I loved the most, he was the heart and soul of the film, and gets 2 key scenes that absolutely killed me. And that was before I realised who he was. What a great story his is. 

The Fablemans

I am not a huge Spielberg fan, I find his stuff soppy emotional and manipulative. So I was worried about this one, given it was about his family. But I really loved it, the acting was brilliant, Michelle Williams in particular. They nailed that 50s style and showed how a young Steven (called Gabriel in the movie) got into film making. The story has a melancholy feel to it. It begins with the family seeing The Greatest Show on Earth at the movies, and Gabriel becomes obsessed with the train crash scene and asks for a model railway. Once he gets it, he repeatedly crashes it to film it and edit it. And a great career is born. We follow Gabriel and his family through the years and see further influences on his filmmaking, along with dynamics of his family. It ends with him working on a film, using advice given to him by John Ford (played to perfection by David Lynch in a cameo).

Top Gun: maverick

I have no idea why I watched this, it is not my thing, I do not like Cruise, I did not care for the original movie. I have no idea why it is even on a list of best films for the year. I can understand it being up for tech awards. I enjoyed seeing Jon Hamm and Val Kilmer, and the movie would have been all the better for more of them. The fighter scenes towards the end were gripping but that was not enough for me. 

Women Talking

Sarah Polley wrote and directed this very dramatic film, based on a book of real life events. Set in a Mennonite community where the women realise the men have been drugging them to rape them. They spend most of the film talking about what they should do, stay or leave. This is utterly compelling and quite heart wrenching stuff. Initially you have no idea when in time is, when it is revealed it is a true WTF moment. The acting is outstanding, and the story is important and beautifully shot.

The Whale

This was heavy going, no pun intended. Brendan Fraser is remarkable as Charlie, an English Professor who teaches online as he is housebound due to ill health caused from being morbidly obese. Charlie's story unfolds throughout the film, you find out about his failed marriage, his daughter and his boyfriend. The Whale is based on a play and plays out similarly. It has minimal characters, but the actors are great, especially Hong Chau as Charlie's friend and nurse. I guess this is not for everyone, but Brendan's performance must be seen. I have seen him in many dramatic roles in the early 90s and always loved him as a great actor, so was glad to see him return to form. This is a great little film, but you will need tissues!