Newcastle Writers Festival - Part 4: Saturday Evening

The Saturday evening session was Dear Diary: an evening of over sharing, at The Edwards. A, S, L & I joined Summer Land and Jack Ellis for dinner, ordering an array of their finger food dishes. And then moved to the set up area for the show stopper of the weekend. 5 authors were going to read from their childhood or teen diaries! Dominic Knight was hosting and we were in for a wild ride.

Jeff Apter, author of many Australian rock bios, went first. He read a few varying entries from his late teens, where he was already writing about the music scene without even realising, going to clubs and drinking and delving into other bits and pieces, his was an interesting read and funny. Especially as he seemed to have little recollection of most of it.

 

Linda Jaivin read about her younger years mixing in waspy company in the US, very funny, very earnest, and of course charged with sexuality.

 

Tim Ferguson read some angsty teen poetry, and then read a couple of entries from his dairy whilst touring with DAAS in Edinburgh in his early 20s.

 

Monica Dux, the only participant I didn't know was the best. Her entries from her later teen years and her yearning and sexual thoughts as a slightly prudish catholic girl, had us rolling in the aisles with tears running down our faces. Her delivery of said pieces as also superb.

 

Summer Land took us on a very open and honest romp as you would expect, through her tween and early teen years, including how she accidentally lost her virginity. Again hilarious and well delivered.

After some drinks and mingling afterwards, we headed home as tomorrow morning was going to be big!

Newcastle Writers Festival - Part 3: Saturday

I only attended two sessions Saturday. They were back to back at City Hall, and were both equal parts inspiring and entertaining.

 

I realised all the day time events I went to this year were local authors and writers. I think it's nice to support those that are local, and we have so much talent in the city, it's nice to share in the excitement. I was also solo at these events.

 

Session 1 was Rough and Tumblr.

Siobhan Curran talked about her blog, Novocastrian Tales, and it's evolution over the years, why she started it up and what she likes to include. Siobhan is a generous promoter of all things cultural and arty in Newcastle. Her blog showcases this in her own unique way.

 

Michael Newton showed pictures from his tumblr, Showbag. Michael says he is an amateur photographer but the photos displayed would suggest otherwise. The photos are mostly of Newcastle and from a very interesting perspective. He was also the most wondrous presenter, delighting the audience with his light wit and snappy one liners.

 

Mark MacLean talked about his blog, Hamilton North, and subsequent books. I like this blog where he travels pretty much the same route, along Styx Creek with his dog in tow and describes what he sees. It is fascinating, and as he made an interesting comment about repetition which I cannot remember exactly, but something like after a while there is beauty in repetition and once you read his blog, you'll absolutely agree.

 

Session 2 was Wordy Women

Wordy Women was four creative writing PhD students from the Uni reading from their work in progress. It was a very inspiring session, and I found myself taking lots of notes, not so much on what the ladies were reading, but ideas I got from listening to them read. It's hard to explain and also sounds like I was being disrespectful, but not at all. I loved each and every one of the stories, but found phrases or subject matter triggered ideas in my own mind. It seemed wasteful not to write them down.

 

After back to back sessions, I took a wander in Civic Park. There was much happening, families running about, people picnicing, and outside the library storytelling, coffee carts, and a BBQ set up.  There was another late session I had my eye on, but decided to grab a sausage sandwich and zip home for a nap before heading out to the evening event.

 

Newcastle Writers Festival - Part 2: Opening Night with Wendy Harmer

My friend B and I braved a wet and windy night to attend the Opening night of the Newcastle Writer's Festival. The wonderful Dominic Knight (Chaser and ABC radio) was hosting, and had us all laughing even before the special guest graced the stage. And so after all the speeches and such, Wendy Harmer began her hilarious opening night talk.

It started off simply enough with her reading a piece she had just written for The Sydney Morning Herald, about writing, books, literature and Festivals. She then moved onto her own writing experience, particularly with critics who labeled her fiction for adults, chook lit. That is Chick Lit for older women! She was hilarious and I could go on, but really I am not Wendy Harmer, it might be in the writing, but it's also in the delivery of those words! Needless to say, I ended up with tears in my eyes from laughing.

The night included the amazing powerhouse that is Rosemarie Milsom taking the stage to thank her helpers and talk about putting the program together after last year's success. I may have had tears in my eyes then too, but that was just through the love in the room for such an amazing woman!

Newcastle Writers Festival - Part 1: Children's Friday

On the Friday of the Writer's Festival, my nephew, Mr 11, and I took the day off work and school to go to some of the workshops for children.

 

We headed to Newcastle Library for a look around before our first session. In the children's section we found the Sensory Zone with all these fabulous Seussical inspired pieces by Bliss. I had already bought the kids (and myself) one of her touch lights for Christmas so it was great for Mr 11 to see some of her larger designs...but he wasn't so keen to pose for me.  We had managed an Egg Head in Civic Park earlier so I guess that was that!

After a while we headed up to look at the Canoe Pool exhibition they had in their Local History area, loads of great old photos to look at. Mr 11 particularly liked the photo with kids his age wearing "really weird swimmers", no way you'd get him into a pair he muttered. Then we looked at the Shaun Tan exhibit, which was gorgeous as you would imagine.

 

From there we waited to go into the Tristan Bancks session, Writing for Boys.

 

The session was a fully loaded 90 minutes of work and fun. A group of about 27 young, (mostly) introverted boys sat on large cushions on the floor, and it was a glorious thing to behold. I had intended to stay a little while, go for a walk and come back, but the session was so interesting, I stayed the entire time! As the kids were a mostly shy bunch, poor Tristan had his work cut out for him, but he managed it effortlessly.

 

The session was well put together with lots of short videos and information from Tristan about his childhood, writing, books, television appearances etc. But it was the writing exercises scattered throughout that were the most fascinating. He set a range of 5 minute exercises, set his phone and timed them in fact. His instructions for each exercise were mostly, just write, don't worry about what you write, write what words come into your head. He further explained that in creative writing 90% of what you come up with is not that good, it's the 10% you get the gold from and often you never know where it comes from, so by writing everything down that's how you find the gold. (or something to that point, which I thought was gold indeed!!!)

Some of the exercises included first thoughts (whatever enters your head or what you see, write it down) best done first thing in the morning, I remember when (using memory as a device), listening to instrumental music for inspiration, reading sections of his book and asking them to jot down what they thought happened next and so on. 

 

Tristan also read a lot from his series of short stories, My Life and Other Stuff. These are funny stories based around a kid the boys age and other characters he knows from school and family. He asked the kids to brainstorm some ideas for his third book of these stories. He wrote all the kids ideas up on a whiteboard and named it after the session, he said if he included it in the book, he would acknowledge them in the book. I thought that was very cool, you could tell the kids did too.

 

Afterwards, we bought a few of his books and Mr 11 lined up for Tristan to sign them, which was pretty exciting.

 

We indulged in Coco Mondo for lunch and then hit Civic Park for a stretch and read. Mr 11 has been, like most boys his age, a reluctant reader, so for him to suggest we sit on a park bench and read was a heart warming moment.

 

Our other session was with comedian, Oliver Phommavanh. Oliver was a whirlwind and proved a hard object to photograph he moved that fast. Growing up Thai in Australia has left him with hilarious tales which he uses in his books, his stand up background makes him a dynamic performer and he had everyone in stitches. He collects toys - from films, video games, television, comics and the like - and uses them to tell his stories. It showed the kids that make believe was fun AND you might just get a good story from it. He told all sort of inappropriate jokes and was very into audience participation, but the kids loved it, even if the odd teacher raised an eyebrow.

Days like this are so important for our young readers and writers, especially those that may be reluctant or bullied because of their supposed nerdiness.

 

We were both exhausted at the end of the day, but excited and inspired, which is all you can really ask for.

FILM REVIEW: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Grand Budapest Hotel...the title of the film says it all really...

 

The latest offering from genius auteur, Wes Anderson, is nothing short of a masterpiece. I have been anticipating this film for what seems like close to a year.

 

My history and love of Wes starts with a friend recommending Rushmore to me, which I loved and immediately sought out Bottle Rocket. Not long after The Royal Tenenbaums came out and I was in love, and up until now it remained my favourite of his films. Though Moonrise Kingdom was hot on its heels and I have a very tender spot of the The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Look! I love all his films!

 

It is his curation of sets, attention to detail, superb casting and unique storytelling that make his films the complete package. Even his palette and use of colour is utterly unique. I am sure we would be firm friends...or maybe even more!

And so, Grand Budapest Hotel, his 8th film, set around this grand hotel in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka. It is a romp and a caper set over the decades but mostly about when the hotel was at its height, in between the world wars.

 

It begins in 'the present' with a young girl mourning the death of 'the writer' (Tom Wilkinson), moves back to the late 60s when 'the writer' (now played by Jude Law) is staying at the now dilapidated hotel and chances upon the elderly owner of the hotel, Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who tells him of how he became the owner of the hotel.

 

The film then goes back to the 30s when the Hotel was at its height and where most action takes place. This is a layered film, but told with stunning ease.

 

Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), is the suave concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, and Zero (now played Tony Revolori) is the Lobby Boy. When an elderly patron of the hotel (Tilda Swinton) is murdered, and a rare renaissance paining is stolen, Gustave is the main suspect. And so like many caper films, he goes on the run to clear his name, taking Zero along for the ride.

 

The cast is nothing short of stunning, also including Saoirse Ronan, Lea Seydoux, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe,Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, and Jason Schwartzman.

 

But it is Fiennes and Revolori that shine. Fiennes is outstanding, with a here to now unseen comic timing and amusing physicality that was incredibly hilarious. Revolori, young and new to film, is superb and with perfect delivery. Together they shine, what an unlikely but fabulous pairing.

 

There are many 'parts' to the film and whilst it all blends in smoothly with the film as a whole, they stand out visually in a way that has became Anderson's visual trademark. The scenes set in the museum with Goldblum and Dafoe are amusing, dark, wondrous, and grotesque. And the chase scene in the snow is one of the most thrilling, hilarious, ridiculous, and perfectly filmed chase scenes I have ever seen.

 

That is to say the cinematography on this is superb, and unlike anything I have ever seen. The set design out of this world, from funiculars, to artworks, to Mendl's bakery and the superb costumes.

This is a film about movement, the trains, lifts, funicular, ladders, rooftop jumping, the swing of a coat, or the flick of a hair, nothing is left to chance.

 

The attention to detail, as always, is nothing short of amazing, but even makes all his other films seem like he didn't even bother...which of course he did, but you get what I am trying to say!

 

The script was sharp and witty, poignant and dark, and the delivery of these words by the actors note perfect, vocally and visually.

 

Yes, Perfect, superb and genius pretty much sum up this magnificent film. It is a 5 star film and one of the most wondrous experiences I have had in many, many years!!!

 

I will see it again and it is most certainly my favourite Wes Anderson film to date.

 

I only have two concerns, I wanted more, and what will he do next???

 

I guess we'll wait and see...

 

MARCH REVIEWS

Despite a hectic month I did manage a few DVDs, mostly at the beginning of the month though.

 

Television

 

I caught up with episodes I missed of Redfern Now S2 and Miss Fisher S2. Both great Australian series at different ends of the spectrum. Without a doubt Redfern Now is the finest drama we have produced in, well, forever. Inspiring, thoughtful, and intelligent stories set in the western suburbs with mostly indigenous flavour with superb acting, Redfern Now is an instant classic. Miss Fisher is a elegant lady detective, in the 20s in Melbourne. The stories are light, a la Agatha Christie, but the set design, costumes and winsome characters are what makes this show a favourite. I also finally caught the superb British mini-series, The Bletchley Circle. Set in postwar London, about a group of women who had been code breakers during the war and come back together to solve a trail of murders by using their knowledge.

 

Also loving the return of two of my favourite shows on television, Puberty Blues and Rockwiz.

 

Documentaries

 

I also watched two superb Art documentary series, The Impressionists and Art Deco, Highly recommend both.

 

I also saw some amazing film documentaries. Roman Polanski: a film memoir, was good but didn't really expose anything we didn't already know. I suspect it was a PR exercise. Stories we tell, is a stunning family tale from the amazing Sarah Polley. I am unsure how to describe this, but she goes in search of the truth about her mother. Quite extraordinary. And finally, a documentary I loved so much I was compelled to review immediately, A Band Called Death.

 

Movies

 

The Way Way Back was the pick of the bunch this month. A lovely coming of age story with a great cast.

 

Therese Desqueyroux - a French period melodrama starring Audrey Tatou.

 

Parkland - could have been such a great movie. Based on the doctors in Parkland Hospital who had to operate of President Kennedy that day he was shot and also Lee Harvey Oswald the following day. Also told from the point of view of the Oswald family. It was fascinating, but with Zac Efron and Colin Hanks as the doctors...you get the picture!

 

Now You See me - was a flashy thriller about a group of magicians on an interesting mission

 

Satellite Boy - Great story about two young boys on an adventure in the outback with stunning cinematography

  

Books

 

I seemed to start about 4 or 5 books this month, but only finished one!

 

And that was Tiddas by Anita Heiss. It's is her latest book and the reason for her author tour during the month.

 

Tiddas is a rollicking romp about 5 close friends based in Brisbane. The women have been friends since school, and now they are in their 40s they are experiencing varying degrees of change in their lives. It is a fabulous and honest portrayal of friendship and life at 40, these women have such a wonderful bond. The story is also structured around their book club, so we not only find out what has been happening in their lives as the months pass by, but get to read about what they are reading. This is a wonderful device and has added additional reading to my already long to read list! 

As with all of Anita's books there is another subtle thread about Aboriginality, politics, and similar. I always enjoy this aspect of her books, there are things to be learnt, and ideas and philosophies to ponder. Most of all I love her sense of place. Each of her books have strong settings, usually the city where the book is set and the city or town where the main character/s come from. Brisbane is as much a character as the five women in Tiddas, as is Mudgee, their hometown. Whilst a fun read in the Chick Lit genre, this book has a great deal of substance and heart. I highly recommend!

 

Music

I've gone retro (again) and been listening to Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan. I also have been enjoying the new John Butler.

MARCH ROUND UP

March did not get off to a good start and had been a roller coaster ride ever since. The things I did and got up to during this month are mind blowing!

 

I worked Sat 1st, and we had a lady collapse. We were kept busy keeping her well and alive until the ambulance arrived. To be honest I thought she was going to die, it was harrowing and scary. And of course even worse for the poor lady. It was a reaction to new medication, and she is ok. But boy, were we tested that day!

 

I lunched after with my good friend C, at Caves Beach Hotel, wasn't that hungry and in a bit of a state, but as always she made me feel heaps better.

 

The Oscars were held early in the month and as is my custom I took time off to watch it live. My sister A also had time off work and we had a celebratory afternoon with bubbles and seafood!

You can read all about my predictions, thoughts on the show, and wrap up of fashion.

 

As part of my Project Declutter and Revamp, my first new piece of furniture arrived. A lovely cabinet for the lounge room. This arriving set off a domino effect of clearing out and rearranging, but I'm pleased with the outcomes!

I've also been playing the guitar with my niece and nephew, who are having lessons. And I bought myself some Bongo Drums!!

And then things got really nuts.

 

Someone once said to me if you live large, large things happen, good and bad. And I guess bad happens to make us appreciate the finer things in our life. I have written about mental health moments before, and I am lucky to not suffer very much, but I do suffer them from time to time. Usually I can see warning signs and nip things in the bud, but this time it snuck up on me and I was down for the count but only briefly. The thing that pushed me over, was not how I was treated during an incident (which is to say not at all well!), but how others included in it were. Piss me off and upset me is one thing, but my friends, well that is a whole other thing and I admit my reaction to this was not at all classy. The combination brought me to my knees.

 

I've got a pretty tough exterior due to 'stuff', but that exists to protect a very fragile and sensitive interior. It takes a lot to break through to it, so kudos to the shitheads that get there!!! However, it's always pleasant to find out who one needs to avoid in life! I prefer to keep personal things private, but I see so many people suffering similarly or worse, I feel the need to share so they don't feel so isolated and alone.

 

But during all this I had a lot to be grateful for, things that jerked me right out of that bad head space. I attended a GenXWomen lunch at Noahs with the fantastic Joanne McCarthy as guest speaker, attended an literary dinner at Cooks Hill Hotel, talked Haruki Murakami at bookclub, and Marched in March. All the while supported and loved by fabulous friends and family, you all know who you are, godammit I love you guys!!!

And then I heard a song I loved and like that I got my mojo back.

 

Which was perfect timing, as I was entering one of the busiest fortnights I have ever had, in life and at work.

 

I have been organising for some months an author tour for my friend, Anita Heiss and her friend Lisa Heidke. It was a lot of work, but really can you call having so much fun at 5 events over 2 days work?

 

I also managed to squeeze in a Neil Finn concert, and celebrate what would have been my beloved Pop's 100th birthday.

 

My friend D, who I have known since I was 5 also dropped by with Vodka - now there's a friend that knows me well - for a catch up.

 

The second week brought the new Cardiff Library opening, a NAG Supporters public meeting, a large vintage fashion show and gardening talk and meetings at work, and a meeting with ABC about the Writer's Festival, of which I shall be part of. I lunched with D, bought a stack on vinyl, had another movie night at work, and then pretty much crashed.

In fact I literally crashed on the Thursday when I took quite the tumble in the rain, my mind was elsewhere and I think the universe wanted to bring me back to earth, lol. I did a fair bit of damage to some body parts but nothing broken, just my pride!

 

I got together with my beloved Tweeps, for another great Tweet Up, this time at The Edwards, as organised by C. And it was a fabulous night, of chatter, friendship, drinks, laughs, and funnily enough, not much tweeting! My lovely friend L stayed with me for the occasion and she finally got to meet a whole lot of people she had been conversing online with for years.

 

The following day, L and I headed into Frankies Place for a leisurely brunch and then checked out the latest exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery. We then wandered the length of the mall, chatting art, photography, and politics. I also saw The Great Beauty, and Inside Llewyn Davis.

I am planning on some quieter months, I need to bury myself in some great literature, and catch up on some quality viewing.

Sistas Doing It For themselves: The Anita Heiss/Lisa Heidke Tour 2014

As you probably gathered I had an extremely busy and fabulous time hosting Anita Heiss on her Tiddas book tour. I am lucky enough to call Anita a friend, and met her just over a year ago through another fabulous friend, Susan. When Anita contacted me and asked me to do this late last year I was thrilled and honoured...and a little bit scared. But I said Yes!

So I have been working on it ever since, assisted by my great team at Swansea and other colleagues, and annoying the hell out of Anita with fifty bajillion emails.

Along the way, Anita decided to bring fellow chick lit author and friend, Lisa Heidke with her. Double the fun, and so it was!

To make the most of their visit, we planned three separate events over two days. This was a huge undertaking and something new as we organised two evening functions in venues outside of the library. Plus I organised two separate private functions for Anita and her friends. 

The first event was held at Charlestown Library, and Anita and Lisa charmed our audience with their beautiful friendship. They spoke about the writing process, how they research their books, their writing styles, and the editing process. They both had different perspectives and styles and habits, which made for a fascinating conversation. Their true friendship and knowledge of their profession shone through. The afternoon included book signings and a chance for those attending to get up close and personal with the ladies and ask them questions. 

That evening, a crowd turned up at Lake Macquarie Art Gallery to attend the Hunter Region Tiddas book launch. Lisa Heidke was MC for the evening and Carol Duncan from ABC 1233 Radio launched the book. It was a great evening with the Gallery and surrounds as a beautiful backdrop. Plenty of chatter, wine, cheese, and cake added to the elegance of then evening. Lisa and Carol spoke about Anita with humour, love, and respect, especially regarding some of the challenges Anita has to face in her day to day life. Anita responded with eloquence and grace and spoke about her book and characters. It was a fun and entertaining evening.

The next day a group of us met at Rustica for lunch and a relax. We had lots of laughs and conversations, over drinks and the fabulous Rustica food.

That evening we celebrated women’s literature with Sistas doing it for themselves at a Function Room and bar overlooking Lake Macquarie. A lovely group of women took the chance to frock up and join us for canapés, drinks, and chocolate. Anita and Lisa read from their book, and entertained us with their charm and humour, before opening the room up to questions and discussions. The evening was loads of fun, with all of us enjoying an evening of conversation and laughs.

Afterwards some of headed to Le Passe Temps for a private after party to celebrate the end of a great couple of days and our endearing friendships.

I think I am still recovering, organising something like that is huge, but I am beyond thrilled with how well it all turned out.

Anita and Lisa were such fun to host and have around, I miss them dearly. They are the testament of finding your flock, great friends, but only recently so. 

And Anita's book, Tiddas, it is her finest yet. A great tale about 5 fabulous friends, stay tuned for my next book update for a proper review. In the meantime, go find yourself a copy and read it for yourself!

And I have to end by thanking all my fabulous friends, you listened and gave me advice, and helped me out throughout these past few months, and I am eternally grateful, you all know who you are. You are just incredibly special people!

FILM REVIEW: Inside Llewyn Davis

I have been anticipating this film since I saw a small snippet of it almost a year ago. As a Dylan fan and having read many books about that period in New York, I knew I'd love this film, and I did. Of course, it was nothing really like I expected, but what Coen Brothers film gives you the expected? This is why I love them so much.

 

Oscar Isaac is Llewyn Davis (and plays and sings for real in the film!), a down on his luck folk singer in 1961 in Greenwich Village. Hardly anyone around him is supportive of him, including family, friends, and even his agent. Yet he keeps persisting, despite he is obviously tiring of it all. He has no fixed abode, crashing on friends lounges, rotating as they get sick of him. He has gotten himself into endless trouble with women, his family, and his downbeat attitude is not helping him make amends, not that he seems to be trying that hard to succeed anyway. And yet, he is a thoroughly charismatic character on screen, mostly due to the soft side we see come through, and his obvious talent for music.

 

The film is set over just a week in his life, albeit a very full week. When he says, "I am so tired", you get it, so much happens the action feels like it takes place over months not a week.

 

The story is based very loosely on the life of folk singer, Dave Van Ronk, a folk singer from that period. The Coens took a lot of information from his life and music for the film, but have said the character of Davis is not really him.

 

Inside Llewyn Davis has a melancholy feel to it, and it's obvious Llewyn himself is on the edge of depression. Filmed in dull colours, it almost feels like a black and white film. The bittersweet folk tunes add to this, and yet there is a strangely comforting and uplifting vibe to the film.

 

Much happens during this week on film, playing gigs in clubs, travelling to find leads on being signed up, and disconnecting with those around him. There are a few twists that are unexpected which add even more to these already fascinating storylines. 

A lot of the humour is derived from the other acts and characters revolving around the club they play at and the folk scene in general.

 

The supporting cast for this is outstanding, with Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake playing a homely folk duo, Jean and Jim. Mulligan is sassy and wild as Jean, Timberlake a little more low key. Other characters are very odd as you would expect in a Coen Brothers film. And Adam Driver, Garrett Hedlund, Alex Karpovsky, Stark Sands, F. Murray Abraham, and John Goodman are but some of them.

 

Of course, Oscar Isaac is superb as Davis, there are scenes where he doesn't have to say a word and you get everything he is feeling. You want him to make it so much, he has charisma in an underhanded kind of way.

 

And then there is the cat, too complicated to explain, the cat is a welcome addition of colour and humour to the movie.

 

But really as great as the story is, it would be nothing without the music. Authentic of the time, and representative of the characters, I cannot wait to get my hands on this soundtrack, it's stunning. 

Inside Llewyn Davis is a little dark at times, but it has a great undercurrent of humour and has a deep, deep heart. You will leave with a wry smile on your face.

FILM REVIEW: The Great Beauty

La Grande Bellezza or The Great Beauty won the Best Foreign Film at this year's Academy Awards, and deservingly so.

I had seen the trailer and as a Fellini fan I was sold. I expected grand and lush visions of Roma and that's what I got...and so much more.

This film is not for everyone, it is certainly Fellini-esque and there is probably a whole other piece I could write on it's influences and borrowings, but that is unfair to the film and those that are not familiar with the great master.

Paolo Sorrentino has previously directed The Consequences of Love and This Must be the Place, both films about journeys of older men contemplating their lives and trying to make some sense of it all. And The Great Beauty is ultimately the same exploration, but on a visually larger and more exquisite scale.

Toni Servillo is Jep, an aging journalist is living the high life in Rome. He lives in a large apartment overlooking The Coliseum where he hosts continual parties. On his 65th birthday he feels a shift in his philosophies when his first love dies; why didn't he write another book after the success of his first decades earlier, is this lifestyle really worthwhile, and what is he doing. He questions this with friends and almost turns on them himself with his sharp wit and acerbic tone. He has regular meals with his editor, asking her thoughts on his life and their lifestyles. All the while he continues to navigate his way through a very hedonistic Rome.

Each scene jolts from one impression of Rome to another, as seen through Jep's eyes, sometimes with love and beauty, other times with a more cynical eye. He thinks back to his younger years and the great love in his life, the one who died, and who ended up marrying his closest friend. This is a man clearly wanting more out of his life, but what?

As a journalist he is constantly going to pretentious and crazy events; a magician who can make a Giraffe disappear, a conceptual artist who screams like a banshee and runs headfirst into a brick wall, a young child on a stage with buckets of paint making art with her hands and body, these are all metaphors for the internal pain he is feeling, and the ridiculous around him.

And then there are his extravagant parties, as he says, "The trains at our parties are the best in Rome. They're the best cause they go nowhere." Hmmm, an insight into his mind perhaps!

There is also a thread about the Catholic Church and an elderly Mother Theresa type nun that Jep is sent to report on. It is presented with equal parts cynicism, respect, and humour, and culminates in the most stunningly serene scene with Flamingos!

But mostly the film shows the exceptional beauty of Rome, he goes to parties and soirees in many abandoned monuments throughout the eternal city, and wanders cobblestone back streets at night.

The cinematography is breath taking - monuments, nightlife, costumes, artefacts, ruins, food, beautiful people - everything you would imagine Rome to be. And the accompanying soundtrack, whilst not Nino Rota (Fellini's grand maestro) is superb; sweeping opera, instrumental pieces, and glorious choral vocals.

This is such an elegant, and visually sumptuous film, and whilst it has a large, strong supporting cast, it is Servillo pulls it all together with his gentle, and melancholy, yet assured performance.  

The Great Beauty is long at almost two and a half hours, and I think could have been edited to just under 2 hours easily enough. But I just adored it, the musings, the melancholy, the joy, the beauty. Make sure you stay until the very last moment, the footage over the credits is stunning.