MAY/JUNE REVIEWS

Book Reviews 

Bright Shining: how grace changes everything by Julia Baird

Another glorious book from Julia Baird, discussing Grace, who has it, how to use it and how important it is. Baird describes it as mysterious, but you know it when you see it and it is the opposite of karma, those good deeds even to those seemingly undeserving. Filled with loads of stories from her family, her journalism, and her illness, you are very much inspired to do more good deeds!

Three wild dogs and the truth by Markus Zusak

A great memoir from Zusak about his life with dogs. He seems to attract challenging mutts. The stories are glorious; funny, sad, and wild.

Flames by Robbie Arnott

This is Arnott's debut novel and you can see how far he has come since then. All the usual themes, animals, nature, landscape, and flawed individuals. He does try to throw everything into this one, and it is a little flawed because of that. However, it is an engaging story about a brother and sister reacting to their mother's death. The impact of her life and death goes deep. He adds magic realism into it and it mostly works. If you love his most recent novels, which I do, you will appreciate this one greatly.

Brooke Shields is not allowed to get old by Brooke Shields

I love Brooke, and enjoyed her autobiography, but I struggled with this one. More about aging and menopause, which is mostly why I read it. But I have read a lot on that topic, so I felt she offered nothing new. Not a bad read, but just not for me.

From Under the Truck by Josh Brolin

This was an unexpected pleasure. What an interesting writer! I quite enjoy Josh as an actor, but really know nothing about him. This was a great insight, more a memoir than autobiography. Not in chronological order, but easy to follow. His writing is deep and thoughtful. There are stories from set, his family (he had a very challenging childhood, his mother was quite the character), and life generally. There are some really rough moments in his life and he is open and honest, and there are a lot of funny tales too. It has a beautiful balance, and is unlike most memoirs. Highly recommend

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

I knew this would be good, and it as better than my expectations. I always knew about Anderson's high intellect, but could never understand her - to me - less intelligent roles. This answers all of that, she writes beautifully, with kindness and care but also marching to the beat of her own drum. She tells all, her terrible childhood, her desire for escape, and her long list of poor choices with men. She is also a poet, which sounds wanky, but she is good...like, really good. This is a great read, a real feminist manifesto, and opens you up to a truly special woman.

Understory: a life with trees by Inga Simpson

This is the year I 'discovered' Inga Simpson. I consider myself very lucky. Her more recent books have been recommended but I started towards the beginning. I listened to her read this on spoken word, and it was an experience that stays with me. It is what is called an eco-memoir. Inga and her partner buy a property in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. Their intent is to live with nature and create art and take on other artists in a residency. It is quite the journey. Her writing about nature is outstanding, you can feel and see every moment she describes. But she is not flowery but honest and at times brutal... as nature can be. Her love of nature and indeed art, and the art within nature, shines through. I loved this so very much.

Birdy by Sharon Kernot 

Sharon is an Australian poet, and her work is for teens. Birdy is a novel in verse, and it is wonderful. Maddy is mute, something has happened and her family are convalescing in an old farm. Maddy meets Alice, a lovely elderly woman, who also has trauma in her life, and they form a bond. It is a about loss and healing, but also about kindess and joy. 

Ella Fitzgerald: the official graphic novel (women in Jazz series)

Oh my goodness, this is the most beautiful books. Essentially about Ella, up upbringing and her music. It is an adult graphic novel and so beautifully illustrated and pulled together. I loved this!

The Next Big Thing by James Colley

I recently found out Colley is married to Miranda Tapsell, and she reads the audiobook I listened to. The Next Big Thing is a romantic comedy. Norman lives in a small (fictional) country town called Norman. He decides to build a big thing, to help the town and to show his love to a girl. I read the back of the book and it sounded like a funny book about the big things in Australia, eg The Big Pineapple etc. And it references a lot of them, and a big thing is built - you'll have to read the story to find out what! But it is more a romance, and about the angst you feel living in a small town and wanting to escape. Colley is a writer for many TV shows like Gruen and The Weekly, and he is a good writer and funny. This was a light book but enjoyable.

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

Another Japanese comport read. Mr Hirusaka owns a photography studio on the way to the afterlife. After people die they are sent here to see their life in photography. They are to choose one photo for each year of their life for the next step of their journey (life flashing before your eyes), and they are allowed to go back to key moments in their life and watch them through their older eyes. This was an easy but beautiful read, a lot to think about, very zen and very Japanese.

You don't have to have a dream: advice for the incrementally ambitious by Tim Minchin

This is a little book, it could have been so much more, it looked like it was whipped up in one afternoon. It wasn't bad but brief and interesting, but lacked the depth I was looking for.

Earth to Moon: a memoir by Moon Unit Zappa

This was a cracking read, Moon Unit's memoir of herself and her family, particularly her father, Frank. It is mostly about Moon Unit's later stage in life, looking back at her extraordinarily creative and genius family, specifically her father, and how she finds her own self in their shadows. It is warts and all, and shows the flaws in her parents, and how she overcome them. It is LA in the 70s and 80s, and the rise of the Valley Girl, of which she is one. Loads of pop culture references too. I loved this.

Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser

This was not an easy read, Michelle often isn't, which is why I love her so much. She is always philosophical, and makes you think hard when you are reading, about what she is writing, and about what thoughts are coming up about your own life while you are reading her writing. She opens my mind so well, I love the experience, this is what I love most about reading. 

The book has different styles of writing, more in a Non-Fiction style despite actually being a novel, and it changes narrative, so a lot to keep up with. Just the kind of brain exercise that I love in writing. Mostly it is about a young woman in the 70s doing her thesis about Virginia Woolf and discovers some racist comments in her writing. It is also about desire, and a tryst with another student who is in a relationship with someone else.

After reading this, I saw Michelle in conversation at the Newcastle Writers Festival, and she was exactly as I imagined, but she drew new light on my understanding (or so I thought) of the novel, so keen to give it a re-read.

Quality writing, always a beautiful journey, and I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

Vivienne Westwood: the illustrated world of a fashion visionary by Tom Rasmussen and Illustrated by Marta Spendowska

This was a load of fun, with huge amounts of photos and illustrations of Vivienne's amazing design, also a potted biography, for those (not me) who know nothing of the designer.

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng

The Burrow is set mid-covid in Melbourne when restrictions were still in place. We follow a family still deep in grief after a horrible tragedy some years earlier. The father buys a rabbit for their daughter, and it becomes a beautiful focus for them. Because they are all mostly at home the suffocation of the situation is palpable, and the story is told from multiple viewpoints. When the grandmother come to stay, after breaking her arm, the drama escalates. 

The Burrow is more a novella, and it is very spare writing, the story unfolds slowly but beautifully. The characters have depth and their inner workings help move the story along. This is a really lovely piece of work, highly recommend.

Film Reviews

She Said

Based on the 2 journalist that exposed Harvey Weinstein. It is a tenacious film, about 2 great women, heroes of the me too generation. A great female cast, very much in the vein of All the President's men. I enjoyed this one.

A Friendly Tale

A great French film starring Vincent Cassel and Berenice Bejo, about 2 couples who are close friends. When Bejo's character announces she is writing a novel, the group dynamic changes as they doubt her ability. It shows the limitations of people, when someone is seen as one thing and appears as another. Very much in the style of French farce at times, until things really start to change. Great performances and a real think piece.

Memoria

Oh my goodness, this film!!!! It was on my mind for weeks after seeing it. It is a very strange but wonderful film starring Tilda Swinton. You can always rely on greatness if Tilda is involved.  It is difficult to describe this movie without spoilers, so I will be brief, but honestly I could talk all day about it. It is also a film that divides people, they either hate it or love, I fall into the later category. 

Tilda plays a Scottish woman living in Columbia. It starts slow and very quiet, and she wakes up suddenly in the early hours of the morning with a bang. The sound really bothers her but no one else seems to have heard it. However, the sound has heightened her sensories. She runs a flower market, but early on visits her sister in hospital in Bogota, the hospital itself is over an archaeological dig she in interested in.

As she continues to hear the 'booms' but no one else seems to, she visits a recording studio to see if anyone can help her work out what it is. From there strange things unravel, and when she takes a hike in the mountains, she meets a mysterious fisherman and they talk about his connection with nature. She stays with the fisherman and begins to understand how all of these odd events are connected.

I worked out what was going on fairly early on, but was not sure until the reveal, which I watched about 5 times as it was so subtle but spectacular.

This is not for everyone, it is a slow and subtle movie, a lot does happen but in it's own time. I bloody loved it!

Vita and Virginia

The love story of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. Commencing with how they meet and the early days of Bloom. Gemma Atherton was a formidable Vita, and Isabella Rossellini was equally as formidable as her mother. I found Elizabeth Debicki a little week as Virginia and because of that I struggled with the film. I found it weak and at times melodramatic. It is a shame as visually it was splendid.

Perfumes

This was a good French film about a Chauffer down on his luck, he needs his job for the money to find a better apartment to gain custody of his daughter.

Memoir of a Snail

Another stop-motion animation from the brilliant Adam Elliot. It is the story of a snail, voice by Sarah Snook, who is separated from their family and their adventures while trying to reunite. As always the attention to detail is stunning, it is melancholy but full of humour. This was a beautiful film and piece of art.

A Women's Vengeance

This is a 1948 noir melodrama with Charles Boyer, Ann Blyth, and Jessica Tandy. Boyer is caring for his wife, but having an affair with a much younger woman. When his wife dies supposedly of a heart attack, he can now marry his lover. But did his wife die of natural causes? A good romp, with touches of melodrama.

Documentary Reviews

Hermitage

Behind the scenes of setting up a large exhibition in the Hermitage, stunning!

Rob Bryden and Sparks

Bryden interviews Sparks on the release of their latest album. Once he overcomes his excitement, the interview is great. Typical Sparks dryness laced with Bryden humour. A sheer delight.

The Piano series

Loved this series set mostly in Australian train stations. A piano is set up for people to play (obviously some have been sourced, but they are unsure exactly why). Harry Connick Jnr and Andrea Lam are hidden and 'judging'. Cue, prodigious children, quirky teens, and delightful elderly pianists! But what joy, if you love music, you must see this!

Love Opera

Behind the scenes at Brisbane Opera, and the auditioning process for a production of Carmen. Dramatic, brilliant, Stupendous!

Wes Anderson talking about his films

Exactly as you would imagine, although at only 1 hour, not nearly enough time. Wes delves into his stories, his actors, and the beauty and precision that is a Wes Anderson film. Utterly brilliant!

Television Reviews

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

This was a good adaptation of the book, but lacked the depth and inner thoughts that made the book. Great cast and beautifully filmed, totally worth a watch.

Am I Being Unreasonable

I gulped back both seasons of this amazing show. It is hard to describe, it is dramatic, hilarious, romantic, and crazy. Every time you think you understand what kind of show you are watching, it flips on you...and this is a very good thing. Staring the amazing Daisy May Cooper as a young Mum who has a huge secret. It focuses on her life and those in her life and the lengths she goes to hide her secret. This turns the show into a thrilling roller coaster ride. She is phenomenal, as are all the characters, especially the young actor that plays her son. I cannot really say much more except trust me, this is one of those unsung gems. S3 is apparently coming, very keen to see where this story goes/ends!

The Last of Us S2

Oh boy, hard to talk about this season without spoilers. Loads of things to be upset about in this harsh tale. Again, Bella Ramsey continues to shine. The entire cast is amazing. If you know the show, you will be equally in love and annoyed with it as I was. Great television.

The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon, The Book of Carol

I am enjoying this spin off from The Walking Dead, this is S2, it is still set in France, and is great. Carol and Daryl are easily the best characters (that are still alive) from the original show and this is a great showcase for their talent and to expand their universe. 6 tightly wound episodes, I gulped them back and eager for more.

Taronga

I love this show, and slowly making my way through it. Behind the scenes at Taronga Zoo, narrated by Naomi Watts. Lots of amazing people looking after amazing animals, what's not to love!