JANUARY/FEBRUARY REVIEWS

What I've Been Reading

The Book that no one Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade

This is a children's book by the very dry and hilarious Richard Ayoade (IT Crowd, Travel Man) The main character is the author who is indeed a book. And so the book tells you what it is like to be a book. Early on when the book gets upset about it's pages being turned back to mark where they are up to, I knew I would enjoy it! Very clever, very silly and amusing.  

Rooms of Their Own: where great writers write by Alex Johnson

This was a beautiful coffee table style book with lovely pieces on many different writers/authors, accompanied by illustrations of their writing rooms. It contains a little information about the writer and details of these surrounds. Writers include, Roald Dahl, Bronte Sisters, Virginia Woolf (of course), Colette, Emily Dickinson, Ray Bradbury, Hemingway, Haruki Murakami, Hilary Mantel and so on. The rooms ranged from opulent to sparse, filled with much, to sheds. It was a dreamy read.

Koori Princess by Anita Heiss    

A very sweet children's book about being your best self. I think loads of little girls will love this. It is a sweet but sassy story, about a little girl who loves to dress as a princess, but is still fierce! I think it will be very popular.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse - Charlie Mackesy   

This is another children's book and quite the popular one - for all ages, adults especially. It is a parable of sorts, about a boy and his unusual friends, in search of a home. It is mostly about friendship and love and kindness. The illustrations are lovely and whimsical, it has been made into a short film which recently won an Oscar. 

Bodies of Light - Jennifer Down        

Bodies of Light is her third book and won the 2022 MIles Franklin award amongst many other most deserving awards.

I am unsure how to even explain this book without spoilers. I came at it totally cold, with no idea what it was even about, I had just heard how remarkable it was. I listened to it in talking book over a few weeks driving to and from work, the reader was phenomenal.       

It follows the story of Maggie and her very full and often tragic life. It is a long read and at times - for some - will be triggering, but it is exceptional. I felt every intertwined with Maggie for the entirety of the read.

The story commences in what seems like the present and someone from her past connects with her on facebook. She is quite upset by this and seems to be hiding from something. But what? Throughout the story you wonder if she is a reliable or unreliable narrator of her life.

To work through this initial connection she take you through her life coming back to this period throughout the story.

And so, she tells the vague story of her childhood, you can sense the gaps, is she hiding something or just cannot remember? Her childhood is not great, there is abuse and she ends up in foster home after foster home when her father is incarcerated. And so her journey begins. 

I want to say more, but I really got more out of the book not knowing what was coming up next, anticipating the next twist and turn, which you never really could. 

But the story is magnificent, huge and winding, twisting, and full of major moments. You will hang off every word. And the writing is stunning, the descriptions and sentences make you feel as if you are living Maggie's life with her! Down is a beautiful writer, Helen Garner has written lyrical about her sentence structure which is high praise.

This is a must-read book!

What I've Been Watching

Everything Everywhere All At Once

This is easily my favourite film of the year so far. 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 difficult 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 destroy 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. 

Thor: Love and Thunder

This was a load of fun, great cast, loads of laughs. Waikiti's humour is perfect and works well with Marvel and these characters. There's not much to say, it looks great, the cast are fantastic, great action scenes, drama, and comedy. Stay for the end, for a little cameo by someone cool.

Wednesday

This show is everything! I am a real Addams Family fan from way back, the TV show from the 60s, and then the actual comics which are far darker and closer to this new tv show than other iterations. 

I was worried I don't mind saying, but when I knew Tim Burton was on board I felt better and when I saw the dance to The Cramps I was certain it would be great.

And it was!

Perfectly cast, great narrative, stunning cinematography. Dark and gothic and Jenna Ortega was perfection as Wednesday. I loved what they did with Thing, and Fred Armison as Uncle Fester was brilliant. The newer characters all worked really well, and fitted into the plot beautifully, I eagerly await the second season!

Staged

This third season was ill-informed, it was a hodge podge thrown together clips show and bad ideas. I still love Tennant and Sheen and watching them was great, but it just seemed not to place itself as well as the other 2 seasons. Never mind, it wasn't bad, just fell flat.

The Cleaning Company

A wonderful documentary about Sandra Pankhurst, who was written about so wonderfully by Sarah Krasnostein in The Trauma Cleaner. The documentary tells Sandra's amazing back story, and follows Sandra and her crew and their cleaning company. It concentrates on their humanity and kindness, helping others in their hour of need. It is a fascinating job that only really special people could do. Things do take a twist and turn, but hang in there, this is a special story that needs to be told.

The Stuff the British Stole

Great series by Marc Fennell, following the tragic stories of stolen art by The British (they are not the only ones) and following the story of those that the pieces belong to and how they want to have them returned. There are happy stories and frustrating ones. They were are compelling watches, but the final one about an Aboriginal leader's head was the one that effected me the most. Remarkable history.

Marc Maron: from bleak to dark

I love Marc's podcast WTF, and have not seen much of his standup, I know this was his first tour after COVID and he talked it up on his show. It was great, he is truly funny and very grounded in reality, you will nod at some of his schtick. He can be a bit bleak and melancholy and I wouldn't have it any other way. This one does get a little dark when we talks about his late girlfrend, Lynn Shelton, who died during the pandemic. But he always finds humour in every situation. This is great.

A-Ha: the movie

This was quite fascinating. I would not call myself a fan, although I think Take on Me is one of the best pop songs ever written. It was an instant classic and still holds up well today. The documentary follows their history intertwined with the band, now in their 50s, embarking on a world tour. Thing is there are strained relationships between all band members. It was very interesting to be a fly on the wall to this, and to hear how great they still sound!

Call the Midwife 

Season 12 is the lead-up to Trixie's wedding. Our beloved Trixie has finally found the man of her dreams, after 12 seasons and many misfires. But will everything go according to her well oiled plans!?

I love this show so much, it is a real comfort watch. Even though babies being born are totally not my thing, lol. I love the characters, the advances in medicine it shows, the social history of that world during those times and it has drama and well placed humour. Sister Monica Joan is my favourite character and they always tease us with her demise, I swear if anything happens to her I will not be happy.

What I've Been Listening To

Palomino - First Aid Kit

They get better as they age, their are experimenting with more pop and rock than folk these days, but still sound wonderful. Palomino is a great album, love these girls.

Fossfora - Bjork  

This is magnificent, much has been written about it. It is hypnotic and sounds unlike anything Bjork has done previously. The artwork is stunning, and pressing amazing. I love Bjork so very much, this is another masterpiece.

Special - Lizzo 

Still listening to this, another singer who gets better and better. Her stuff is so upbeat and positive, it is a great hit for the soul. As always she combines, pop, classical, and hip hop and it always works! Lizzo is a phenomenal woman - Maya would love her!

1981

Andrew and I have hit 1981 for our Sunday Brunch compilation. Really starting to get into albums we flogged to death (or scratched) as children. We were so lucky to have a cool dad, who bought these albums for himself and for us to listen to. We played them a lot!

Pamela Adlon and Alan Alda podcast

Pamela and Alan go way back, her father was a writer and a great friend of Alan's and Alan helped them financially when they went through some difficulties when Pamela was little. It was lovely to hear this friendship and their banter and reverie for each other, a real gem of a podcast!

Helen Garner/Annabel Crab podcast

This was another gem, as part of Helen's 80th birthday at The Wheeler Centre. A lovely and fun conversation. Helen gets more cheeky as she gets older and is always a delight to listen to. Cannot recommend this enough, you can find it on the Chats 10 podcast list.

NOVEMBER REVIEWS

What I've Been Reading

Try Hard - Em Rusciano - I really enjoyed listening to Em's life so far, as told by her on the spoken word version I listened to. And she has had quite the life so far. Junior superstar in sport, Idol, radio star, stand up queen and whilst it is all big stuff and she is bloody hilarious, she also talks about the downs, which are quite low. This was fun, and enjoyable.

In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett - This was also a load of fun, pruely about her show, behind the scenes, and the players. This was also a talking book, narrated by Carol in that distinctive voice. It made me laugh, and I learnt a lot. Mostly about making TV during that time, how much sway she had, what she wanted, what she thought. She was honest too, but in a classy way. I guess this is for fans, but who isn't a fan of this ground breaking comedian.

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku - everybody should read this book. Eddie died recently at 101! It is about his life as a Holocaust survivor and how he puts what he learnt into action for a better, happier life. It isn't a self-help book but each chapter outlines a theme. It is a memoir, it is small in words and pages making it an easyish read, but it is immense in heart and substance. It goes through his early life, Nazi takeover and how he managed to move in and out of concentration camps. He was terribly unlucky, but then amazingly lucky. But it is how he lived his life post-war life that is of most interest and use. Always positive and happy to be alive, he has made it his life's work to educate others in the hope such things never happen again. If you haven't read this, don't hold back, go and do it. You will be thankful.

Inside Out by Demi Moore - this was another talking book, read by Demi herself. About her life, she has had a lot of heart ache and problems, but ultimately lucky. I struggled with parts of it and feel she would be a difficult person to be around. But in all not a bad read.

What I've Been Watching

LA Story - been doing a few rewatches of old faves lately. Whilst some of this has dated - it was a snapshot of LA at the time - the story and acting holds up well. It is funny and poignant in that way that Steve Martin does so well. Sarah Jessica Parker is a shining light and Victoria Tennant divine. I always loved the roller skating in the art gallery scenes.

Best in Show - probably my favourite (after Spinal Tap) of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries. Set amongst a dog show, it follows a whole range of quirky characters and their dogs. To be seen, funny and poignant!

American Splendor- is the unusual biopic of Harvey Pekor, an underground graphic novelist. It star Paul Giamatti, in his break out role, and is really unusual as it also stars and cuts to the real life Harvey and other contemporaries that are portrayed on screen. It tell the life of Harvey and how he became the doyen of Graphic Novels

I am Big Bird - another rewatch, the brilliant documentary about Caroll Spinney, the man inside Big Bird. And what a beautiful man he was, kind and considerate, but also a man with quite the back story. He WAS Big Bird, but he was also Oscar the Grouch. Watch as Caroll becomes Big Bird, and see the impact he has on the world. Absolute International Treasure. This is one of the best documentaries I have seen.

The History of Swearing- a brilliant doco series, hosted by Nicolas Cage, that doesn't take itself too seriously. Each episode features a swear word looking at its place in history and popular culture. Cage is hilarious, as are everyone featured. It doesn't cover every bad word, so maybe a second season. This is something quirky for those that have watched everything!

Mr In Between S3 - This is one of my favourite shows and a real underrated gem. The action centres around Ray, a gun for hire, and his life. One moment he is a kind father, looking after his teenage daughter, the other he is tracking down someone to get money or put a hit on them. The show is tight, well written, suspenseful, dramatic and darkly funny. You will find yourself rooting for Ray, even though he is flawed, but probably because he IS flawed. Scott Ryan is Ray, the writer of the show and is absolutely charismatic and stunning in his first acting role. The supporting cast are a who's who of Australian character actors, the stories are great. You will be on the edge of your seat watching this and cheering along the whole way. S3 is sadly the last, but easily the best series of the 3. If you haven't watched this, go and find S1 and get into it!

What We Do In The Shadows S3  - this is easily one of the funniest shows on tele, a tale of Vampires living in a share household in contemporary Staten Island. S3 deals with a lot of escaping from their regular lives, trips, new jobs, new loves, new hilarity. When Nando falls for a cult leader, their lives are upturned. And they find out a terrible secret about Colin. If you are not watching this, you are missing out!!!

Frayed - the second season of this Aussie/UK show set in my hometown of Newcastle was hit and miss. S1 was brilliant and ended on a cliffhanger. S2 felt a little long and had some tedious episodes, but when it was good it was terrific. Funny, dark, and included some great Novocastrian history within. Totally worth hanging in there, but maybe not for everyone.

What I've Been Listening To

70s Music - Andrew and I have been making our way through my compilation albums of the 70s, there is so much fabulous and bad fabulous on them, it is a walk through my childhood!

The Cars - such an underrated band, great pop, great song writing. Been soaking up some vinyl and going down memory lane.

Jerry Seinfeld on Smartless - this was great fun, the boys were in their element with Jerry and he was a great guest. What more can I say, Seinfeld!!!

Jane Goodall on WTF - This was divine, Jane is always a great interview and Marc - at his best - is superb. Totally an odd mix, but it worked. He was in awe of her, but not enough to hinder his interviewing and a great couple was born, lol. This was a great listen, and a different take - due to Marc's curiosity - than you normally hear.

When you see yourself by Kings of Leon  - another good angsty pop-rock album, very enjoyable

Still woman enough by Loretta Lynn - new album from the Coal Miner's Daughter, she's still singing about her roots and still sounds wonderful.

Duets – Sting   this was a nice album, very chill and very Sting. A reworking of some his solo work and some standards as duets with others such as Melody Gardot, Shaggy, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock and so on.

We are by Jon Baptiste  - this was a cool, bluesy album from  Stephen Colbert's bandleader. I really like his style.

JANUARY REVIEWS

What I've Been Reading

Me by Elton John  - I really enjoyed Elton’s autobiography. A mix of personal, musicality, excess, drugs, recovery, and a whole lot of name dropping…as only Elton can. Some beautiful stories about Freddie, Versace, Diana, some rough ones about Tina Turner, Billy Joel, John Reid, and his family. Lots of lovers, lots of scandal, but told with clarity and honesty and humility. Totally worth a read.

There was still love by Favel Parrett – The story of two grandchildren telling the stories of their grandparents, their grandmothers are sisters. One family is in Prague and the other in Melbourne, it is 1980, there are some flashbacks to the 30s and war. The story is about immigrants and grandparents and no matter where you are in the world and what your life is, there is always and still the love of your grandparents. This is written so beautifully and evocatively by Favel Parrett. She is a master of imagery, words, and suspension. Like the rest of her books, I loved this a lot.

No one is too small to make a difference – Greta Thunberg – this is a cute little book full of Greta’s speeches. It is wonderful to read them all in one place and think about how ground-breaking and amazing she is, in terms of spreading light onto what should not be a controversial topic. It is a very clear and simple representation of what is going wrong and how we can fix it! Everyone should read this

Beauty by Bri Lee – this is a small self-help book to follow-up Bri’s best-selling autobiography (that I have not read). It goes into body image and the obsession  of being thin. It is rather disturbing and it goes into how we (well, not me) have been taken for a ride as a sex in terms of advertising over things like appearances and beauty and  sexuality etc. To be honest this is nothing I didn’t know already, but upsetting to read and see examples of how many get upset about such things. We need to stand up as a group and say enough already! I’m keen to read her autobiography now.

The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie – you can see why this has won so many awards, it is a fascinating read. The story of two girls and their utterly bizarre and horrid parents. Well, at least their mother. Vicki, now living in Australia, gets a call from her sister in Canada that their estranged parents need help. Their mother has broken her hip and their ageing, frail father is at home on the Mid-US property by himself. The girls suspect their mother is slowly ‘killing’ their father and don’t want her to return home. The arrive to sort out the situation and put to rest the ‘stories’ their mother has been telling the small time about her family. Told almost backwards, this is quite a harrowing but also incredibly funny story of families. If you are ever feeling crappy about your family, read this, you will feel perfectly fine.  

The Red Hand Files – This is a website where Nick Cave answers fan mail. But oh my, how he answers the mail is to be seen to be believed. Although completely and utterly unsurprising. This is a man who knows how to articulate what he feels. He can write, we know this through his lyrics. But he has never really given this much of himself out there before and it is a thing of beauty, something to behold. The questions range from deep and traumatic, to religion, to music, to writing, to family, to the humourous and vacuous and he answers them all with aplomb. Sometimes he runs a few in a thread, some are long, some are short, they are humourous and also will bring you to your knees with tears. Mostly he is generous – with his time and insights. Someone asked did he have any spare lyrics lying around they could use for a song, he generously popped up a few paragraphs of something he was working on, but it is all yours now! Imagine!!! I find it such a comforting read, I hope it continues for a long while.

What I've Been Watching

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel S3 – I love this show so very much, whilst S3 is not as great as S1 or S2, it is still heads and shoulders above most other television you will see. Mrs Maisel is a divorced mother of 2 in the late 50s who is a stand-up comedian, much to the horror of her Jewish parents. The dialogue and story is sharp, fast paced, and witty thanks to the Marvellous Palladino’s (writer/creators, formerly of The Gilmore Girls) and the set design and costumes (especially the costumes) are to die for! This season Midge (Mrs Maisel) is on the road touring with a well known singer, her parents are trying to manage without a home or money, and her ex-husband is opening a night club in a dubious neighbourhood. This is so thoroughly entertaining, it is the pure definition of must watch television.

The Crown S3 – Straight off the bat of bingeing S1 and S2, and hearing others didn’t rate this season that highly, I was concerned. I need not have been, I loved this as much as the other 2 seasons. It didn’t take long to get used to the acting changes, Olivia Coleman and Helena Bonham-Carter are a formidable pair as The Queen and Princess Margaret. Charles, Anne and Prince Phillip are also beautifully portrayed. I guess not a huge lot happens in this era and it is more the politics of the royal family and Britain, but it is still interesting and beautifully shot. Now the wait until S4!!

Upright – we don’t do a lot of good television in Australia these days, but when we get it right, we really get it right. Upright is a short but wonderful drama/comedy series from Tim Minchin and Chris Taylor (The Chaser). It is a road ‘movie’ of sorts. Tim plays Lucky who seems to be anything but, he is on a vague trip across Australia to WA to deliver an upright piano to someone. Not long into the show he has a car accident with Meg and writes his car off, they continue on the journey together, finding bits and pieces about each on the way. Both are running to/from trauma. It gets dark, it makes you cry, it is absolutely hilarious, and there is music. And it is completely unlike anything you will see which makes it so very fresh and appealing. Milly Alcock as young Meg is a star in the making, to hold her own (and then some) against Tim Minchin is pretty extraordinary. Tim Minchin is at the height of his appeal here, weirdly lovely, beautifully annoying. This is really something special.

Broad City S5 - this is sadly the final season of this great show. I have loved these gals since they bounded onto the screen in a show based on their popular Internet show. BFFs who love themselves and each other having adventures in New York. It is real and funny and fabulous. Abbi and Ilana are gifted physical comedians and write and act as 'themselves' in the show. it is glorious, feminist, hilarious (you will actually laugh out loud), inclusive, and fun. This final season is not only a love letter to their relationship but to New York City. I still think S4 is their best season, and has a great ending. Despite it being a comedy, I shed a little tear at no more shenanigans from these fabulous gals!

Miracle Worker - this is a cute little series starring Steve Buscemi as God and Daniel Radcliffe as an angel. It is like a weird cousin to The Good Place, things are a bit cray cray in heaven with Buscemi as a bumbling bum of a god who is fed up with the dodgy Earth he has created, maybe he will just blow it up and start again. But his workers, all angels working in various departments (Dirt, Earthquakes, Penises, Walruses etc), watch each of these areas closely and you will see so many superb sight gags, aren't so sure about the impending doom of the planet they oversee. Three angels decide to save Earth by challenging God that they can solve an impossible request, by placing two inept humans together who like each other but not likely to follow through with anything. This is clever and funny and a bit silly but ultimately great to watch. S2 is coming up sometime this month.

Mrs Fletcher - really enjoyed the comedy starring Kathryn Hahn in the lead role. Mrs Fletcher, from the book by Tom Perrotta, is about a divorced Mum, who's son has gone to college, and her sexual awakening. It is hilarious and glorious.

The X-Files – continuing my journey, I’m halfway through S7, and still enjoying them, but this is where things started to slip if memory serves me correct. It will be interesting to see how things hold up from here. 

Big Bang Theory Final Season – this is ok, it was never great but it was simply nerdy fun, nice to watch it to the end, but time for it to finish I think.

Documentary Now S1/2  - catching up with this comedy series about documentaries starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader. Each documentary is a riff on an actual documentary and presented by Helen Mirren (as herself). They are presented seriously, but absolutely hilarious. Sandy Passage is a dark take on Grey Gardens, Gentle and Soft about a yacht rock type group from the west coast, The Bunker from The War Room, and my personal favourite, Final Transmission, a great send up of Stop Making Sense. Armisen’s ability to chameleon like channel just about anyone is to be seen. A lot of laughs here.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman S1/2 – First up, I love Dave, I miss his late night show so very much. Yes he is flawed, and yes he is cantankerous, but he shaped the course of late night television, pushed boundaries, and when he is engaged he is a superb interviewer and brilliantly funny. Dave has handpicked the top of the top for this show and it shows. He is at the top of his game, interested, wonderful, funny, empathetic and caring. This is a man who has done a lot of self-reflection in his downtime and it shows. His guests are Barack Obama, George Clooney, Malala, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen, Tina Fey, Lewis Hamilton, Melinda Gates and so on. And if you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to these people, think again, this is interviewing as you have never seen it in front of a live audience with some special add ins. Each episode Dave travels to meet family of his interviewer, or someone of interest, their family home, their school etc etc, little insights only someone with cred would be allowed. The Ellen one had me in tears, Hamilton had me almost liking him, Seinfeld was divine as Jerry – clearly a fan – tries to turn the tables on Dave and interview him! I hope there will be more.

Comedians in Cars getting Coffee S 10/11 - Up until S9 you could watch these short bursts of a show online, but after that Netflix took over. This means more episodes which is great. Season 10 and 11 have a great long list of comedians including Dave Chapelle, Ellen, Dana Carvey, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Murphy, Ricky Gervais, Matthew  Broderick, and do on. The premise is simply, Jerry – a car buff – picks a car he thinks suits a comedian, gives them a ring, and then picks them up and takes them for coffee. Simple! The 20 minutes or so are usually hilarious and fairly straight forward, not too deep but a different insight into the person you think you know and of course, Jerry himself. He is on remarkably good terms with everyone he interviews, but the better interviews are those where he interviews someone he knows especially well or for a long time. And you’d be surprised who he is buddies with. My favourite bits is when they are driving and they pull up next to someone at the lights and they did a double take to see Jerry with say Ferris Bueller, it is great.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum – this is a great half hour series where Jeff Goldblum explores certain themes, eg coffee, tattoos, Pools, Bikes and so on. With his own special bent on these things and eager to give all things a, this is pure entertainment and very amusing. My favourite one so far was Pool, this included Jeff joining an elderly ladies synchronised swimming team. He was so charming with these ladies, who you realise actually aren’t that much older than him!

Kusama Infinity: the life and art of Yayoi Kusama – I came across this documentary at work and the cover of an ageing Japanese artist in a bright red bob wig and a white dress with bright red dots was very striking and took my attention. I had not heard of Kusama, but in those weird ways of synchronicity, seem to be stumbling across her ever since! Kusama’s art, like her, is striking, modern, edgy and early on, a little controversial. She left Japan, after experiencing WWII, for the US to make her mark artistically. She was a Japanese woman in the art world, unheard of at the time. But she was strong and refused not to be listened too, and forged her way ahead. Her work was ground breaking, sexual, unusual; she worked in multiple mediums. Her work with dots and then mirrors are what she is well known for. This documentary tells her story, with plenty of interesting footage from over the years. I loved this, always nice to find new art, especially but a woman!

School Life – I loved this documentary so very much. Filmed in Ireland in a Primary School Aged Boarding School. It focuses around a married couple, John and Amanda Leyden, in their last year of teaching before retirement. They met as young teachers, fell in love, got married, and live on the property; teaching for 46 years. They are very laid back in their teaching style, beloved by fellow teacher and students, and often collaborate and can be described as ramshackled yet inspirational! Watching John put together a band and Amanda do Shakespeare with her group is the highlight. I cannot rave about this enough!!

Marriage Story - wow, I just loved this. it was absolutely devastating and yet so beautiful simultaneously. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver are absolutely brilliant as a couple heading into and through divorce. I have been such a fan of Noah Baumbach's writing and directing, since seeing the fabulous The Squid and The Whale years ago, which is really the precursor to this tale. The earlier based on his parents divorce and this his own. I love how it depicts the intimacy and beauty of a relationship, and also the mundane and the awful. Because you really cannot have one without the other. There were moments watching this where I felt like I held my breath, the rawness felt so real. Driver is - as always a tour de force. He can do loud and he can do subtle. I doubt he will win the Oscar, but geez he should, and I am certain it will be in his future. He had the showier role, the meltdowns and that 'arm' scene. Scarlett's role was more subtle and I think about it more than I do anything else. Those quiet subtle moments of being female and carrying the weight of decisions made, maybe not in your best interest but for the best and the regret and sadness that can incur. If you didn't think she was amazing, go and watch again, closely, you'll see it all. Fuck, she was good. The supporting cast, especially Laura Dern, were outstanding. There are a handful of actors I think make every movie fabulous, no matter how small their role, Merritt Weaver and Alan Alda are two of them. Dern will most certainly win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this tour de force and deservingly so, she is having a renaissance of late, but has always been a remarkable actress. Go and see one of her earlier roles, which I love, Ramblin' Rose. Marriage Story will stay with you and haunt you, in the best way. It tells you to remember the good even though it may have disappeared, it was there, it is worth celebrating or at least remembering. And in this strange old world, that is a great thing indeed!

The Irishman - I love Scorsese, he can do no wrong. I loved The Irishman, it is one of those amazing, rambling tales of the past he loves to tell. Set around the world of Jimmy Hoffa, it is brutal and rough and long. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, it probably needed an edit, I watched it over one day in 70 minute installments which kept it fresh. The cast is outstanding. I miss seeing Pesci and especially Keitel in film. Adding them to the Pacino/De Niro 1-2 was certainly fabulous casing. The set design, as always meticulous and to be seen. The cars, the street-scapes, the club sets, all quite transporting. I guess this seems like terrain he has traversed before, and he has, but that doesn't mean it is not worth seeing, it really is. I just don't think he is going to win anything for it. 

Ad Astra – I really enjoyed this film about travel in space starring Brad Pitt. I was never much of a  fan of Brad in his younger days, he seemed to rely on looks rather than talent. But as he has aged he has taken on some great character roles and whilst still good looking, he shows he really is a great actor. Brad is Roy an astronaut who is brought in for a mission when an explosive event threatens Earth. It is set somewhere in the future where travel to the moon is as simple as travelling to Europe and travelling further as simple as travelling to the moon. Years ago a team had been sent to the further reaches of the universe looking for life, his father was in charge. No one came back, but these explosive events seem connected to that voyage. And maybe they were still alive. Roy goes off in search of his father, with catastrophic findings as he progresses. Beautifully and realistically filmed, I found it a fascinating look at the possibilities of the future. It is a thriller and obviously sci-fi, Pitt gives an outstanding performance.

Yesterday – I initially didn’t mind this premise – imagine if The Beatles never were – until someone said then music really wouldn’t be as we know it at all. This movie isn’t that clever, but it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be too. It is full of lovely Beatles music, but sung by someone else – some of it good, some of it not so good. The story itself is a bit hallow. The acting ok. And there are a lot of things that no longer exist in this weird universe, eg Oasis…well played…and Coke. Though what the later has to do with The Beatles, who knows. About halfway through I had a thought – HUGE SPOILER ALERT – if the dude was such a Beatles fan and they didn’t actually exist, why doesn’t he go and find Paul McCartney. And he does…about 20 minutes after I had the thought…but he doesn’t go looking for Paul McCartney. And I wasn’t prepared for how sucker punched I felt when he finds who he was looking for. Thinking about it now just about brings me to my knees. For that scene alone, this film is worth 5 stars, but the rest a basic 3.

Rocketman – I didn’t mind this when I saw it at the movies, but didn’t love it. I thought it was a hodge podge of different styles of film and a bit messy in its execution. It played around with facts and left a lot of interesting bits out. The costumes and music were superb and the acting of Taron Egerton great. So I thought I would give it a re-watch, but felt much the same. It is a really really good movie, but it is no Bohemian Rhapsody.

American Animals - this is based on a true story of a failed rare book heist. It is shot like a documentary with actors in the roles showing the action and interviews about the action AND sometimes the real life people being interviewed. The style of the filming stops it from being just another heist film. A group of privileged young white men (natch) decide to rob rare books from a university library. The heist was ill planned and went horribly wrong. These are not spoilers, watching the film shows how stupid people can be, especially when motivated by money. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

What I've Been Listening To

Dummy by Portishead – This is a re-issue and sounds as great as it did 20 years ago. It will always remind me of Milly languishing in the tub, with Egg lurking outside the locked bathroom door on This life.

Lust For life by Iggy Pop – another re-issue, again fresh and jumpy. Aided by David Bowie, this is one of the great pop-punkish albums out there. Includes the jaunty and brilliant The Passenger, my personal fave from Iggy.

NFR! By Lana Del Ray – very laid back album of pop/ballads. Quiet relaxing and enjoyable.

Inferno by Robert Forster – Forster is surely a National Treasure by now. This is his latest, another beautiful pop album, with funky pop, laid back pop, and haunting pop. He sounds great and has a tight band. This was just perfect.

Hall and Oates - I'm such a fan. I didn't always realise this. Friends were seeing them in Sydney some time ago and invited me. I was not sure, but looked at their back catalogue and recognised enough tunes to say yes. Thank goodness, what a fab show and I knew soooo much more than I thought and realised I was actually a fan and have loved them ever since! Collected a few of their albums on vinyl lately and love spinning them. Great, upbeat blue eyes soul!!!

Conversations with Richard Fidler Podcast -  I always keep a stick loaded with this in the car and finally ran out and had to reload, so I have 2017 onwards! Nearly caught up. So many great conversations, he really is the best.

Dolly’s America Podcast – This started so fabulously. A podcast all about Dolly Parton, including lengthy interviews with her about anything and everything. The guy doing it met Dolly through his Dad and he asked is she would be interested and she said yes. The research is meticulous and the information fascinating. From her roots to starting out in the music business, the Porton Wagoner show, the stardom, Dollywood, feminism, politics, it had everything and was very popular. But about halfway through it is like they knew they were on to a good thing and started stretching the episodes with too much filler, it got a little tired. But in all, it is still pretty amazing. The episode about I Will Always Love You is exceptional.

Last Seen Podcast – This is a short series podcast about the Gardiner Art Heist from the Gardiner Gallery in Boston in the early 90s. This is a famous art heist and the biggest in history. The art stolen was irreplaceable and never found. There has been many suspects and suspicions but no one ever found for the theft. I have read a lot about this fascinating case, but not for a while, so I had hoped there was new information, but there was not. This is a great intro into the famous story, if you don’t know a lot about it.

Rumble with Michael Moore - I cannot believe he hasn't attempted this before. His politics are perfect for a podcast and the few I have listened to so far have been utterly brilliant. The thing about Moore is he really has a lovely, soft, thoughtful voice and that is perfect for audio. And whilst he seems like a bombastic type, he actually isn't really and comes across so sweet. His interview with Todd Phillips made me really mad I missed The Joker and super keen to see it. Got total insight into what the intent of the film was and why those that have actually seen it love it. This is worth checking out.

Series Regular - found another new podcast, oh vey! It is by the peeps at Hollywood Reporter, and has television critics following the genre series each week, so I went back at listened to the one on Watchmen, was fabulous to listen to their thoughts and theories, knowing full well how it ended myself, when they did not. But I also picked up some bits and pieces I didn't pick up on. I have been thinking I want to rewatch it all again and now I simply must. I have Game of Thrones final season loaded next. 

OCTOBER ROUND UP

I was still sick at the beginning of October, my throat and voice and cough consistent, this led to x-rays and CT scans and lung specialists at the end of the month. Things looked grim for a bit, I was pretty scared...again...but it appears not to be anything too major which is wonderful. I still need to go back and things sussed out next year. I guess the thing about having had cancer is it is the first thing you go to...which is awful, but it is also the first thing the doctors go to, which means it gets ruled out (thankfully thus far) really quickly!

So due to this, the month was fairly quiet, a lot of sleep, or rather a lot of weird sleeping, due to not great sleep during the night.

I did manage to whisk my best friend away from her dramas to Maitland Art Gallery for a late lunch and then get lost in their art. Maitland Art Gallery cafe is always amazing and the gallery second to none in the Hunter.

I also saw Blak Douglas in conversation with Ursula Yovich at Newcastle Art Gallery. He painted her for his amazing Kilgour winning portrait. She then gave us an amazing mini concert, singing some sublime tunes. A really divine afternoon.

I headed to Scottys cinemas at Raymond Terrace to see the filmed theatre production of Fleabag and it was everything. This is the second run of the theatre show that started the whole Phoebe Waller-Bridge phenomenon. It started as a theatre show, then was series 1 on television. I picked it up a few years back a little bit before things got nuts. Then she redid the theatre show and did series 2, in the middle of all that, Killing Eve. 

Anyway, the theatre show was just her talking to the audience, it was very full on. It covered a lot of the topics in S1 of the television show. It pushed boundaries and was more dramatic than the television show. Mostly as a lot of the humour on the show bounces off the other characters which are not in the theatre show...as such. Occasionally she talks to voices from off stage. What I took the most was what a great physical comedian/actress she is. Her facial expressions and body contortions, which you see a little on the television, but so much more in this.

My nephew turned 17, which feels shocking wasn't I babysitting him the other week! We had a lovely family BBQ to celebrate. He is such a great young man, kind and generous, funny and smart. A real credit to my sister and brother-in-law. 

The Final French Friday of the year was Return of the Hero, starring Jean Dujardin and Melanie Laurent. It was a great period drama/comedy/romance. As usual there was a great french market to partake of prior.

I also had a great and exciting thing happen, I arrived home one Friday afternoon to an anonymous present, for my vinyl area. It is perfect and used and loved. I still have no idea who this lovely giver was...

There is the usual markets.

And reviews.

And photography

AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER ROUND UP

Well, the past two months have flown by. There's been a lot of fun and amazing, and a lot of crap. To be honest, I am over the crap, and sharing it whilst cathartic, will actually only lead to more crap I guess. I've also had a throat infection which has led to more leg problems, as per this time last year. Not as bad, but equally as frustrating. Mid August I did have my first yearly check up with my oncologist and all going well there, so that is incredibly wonderful and I am grateful.

My mantra to get me through all that is going is this: I am here, I am alive, and I have a job. And we'll leave it there and look at the fun stuff!!!

Filtered through these months, there was one constant! And it was pure joy. It was my vinyl project. I have always listened to and bought vinyl, it had never disappeared, even though technically it had. So with the resurging trend of vinyl actually being a thing again, I was like a pig in mud. A cool vinyl shop popped up nearby and my collecting amped up. But my faithful stereo of over 30 years was failing me. The turntable broke for the third time and I needed to upgrade it. I had brought a little portable turntable but the sound was tinny. So for Christmas and birthday everyone gave me money to put towards this project. But with being unwell I hadn't really spent time working out what I needed. Stereos had changed very much over the past 30 years, and I needed better storage and it became a egg and chicken situation. Finally in early August I got into it and bought lovely while cube storage with plenty of room for adding to the collection. I sourced a great stereo and bought a fantastic new turntable. 

I spent a lot of time making it all work and sorting my collection. As a Librarian, this kind of organisation is extremely pleasurable! On Father's Day, my Father decided to give me his entire collection (it had always been promised to me) and I had this to add in and I needed to buy more storage. The project was a little out of control and I was very overwhelmed by the enormity of gaining this beloved collection. But I got there, and I cannot begin to tell you how enjoyable it was. I am currently adding the collection to discogs, an app on my phone that catalogues each piece. It is mostly to have so I don't double up and can work out where the holes in my collection are. I'm only up to C! I also intend to write some pieces about the collection, specifically my father's and how it influenced my own musical tastes growing up.  But at least it is all there looking good and with decent equipment to play it on now and that kind of pleasure and enjoyment is immeasurable. 

The month started celebrating one of my heroes, Frida Kahlo. Linda and I headed to Thai prior to meeting Jayne to see the doco on her life, and I decided to dress up because I needed some fun.

I also saw the wonderful film, The Public, about a large public library during one night when it was overrun by a group of homeless people. It showed the relevance of libraries and how they are the great leveler of our society. I highly recommend it.

I attended one function during the Newcastle Music Festival, a fabulous Opera Soiree at Adamstown Church. High Tea and opera are meant to go together, and it was a glorious afternoon of indulgence.

I went back to The Edwards to celebrate it's reopening for lunch, it all looks much the same and the food as amazing as always.

Athena, Jayne and I saw the wonderful Thelma Plum at the Cambridge. It was a great night, albeit over packed and hot. The following night Yes Commissioner at The Stag to celebrate Alex's birthday, much fun and dancing were had!

Amanda flew home to celebrate her birthday before heading out to Paris, we had an amazing Italian restaurant in Medowie of all places. It was a great family night out.

I saw the new Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. It was superb, and possibly his best since Pulp Fiction. I loved the nod to that era and the acting was just brilliant. 

Athena, Jayne and I headed to Hudson Street Hum, a cool arts venue, to see the booklaunch of State of Origin by David Kelly. Launched by the one and only Helen Garner, it was a great afternoon.

Mum, Dad, and I had a lovely Father's Day lunch and later that week we all met for a family support of Lachlan in his mixed ages soccer Grand Final. It was a dark, cold night up at The Terrace and they sadly didn't get up. It was a rough game against a vile and nasty team who played dirty, the boys can hold their head up high of being the better team on the day. Morals are far more important than winning.

Mary and I had a lovely long lunch to celebrate her birthday at Merewether Surf House. Whilst it was a super windy and cold day, the views never fail to amaze.

Mid September I headed up Coffs Harbour via Bellingen Markets for a family weekend to support Charlotte in her special girls team in the State gala. It was a slow drive up as I was unwell, but a lovely drive without too much traffic so that was good.

I had lunch at the markets at Bellingen, a wander and a shop. There was a nice vibe, it was a little muggy after raining. The drive in and around the area was divine, but it was busy in the main street and I needed to be at my destination.

We mostly watched the girls kick arse at soccer throughout the weekend, the stadium at Coffs was newish and comfy. I stayed in a lovely motel on the edge of Coffs but we dined at Sawtell mostly as the rest of the family stayed there. A good solid Chinese meal at the Bowlo on the first night and a seafood meal at the pub on the second night. The girls did extremely well winning 3 games out of 6, I am in awe of my niece, as goalie she has the toughest gig on the team and she is amazing and fierce.

On the last time I had a little time to myself and had a lovely breakfast at the yacht club overlooking the beach and then had a drive and wander around the beaches.

On the way home i headed back into Bellingen and had a lovely walk in the much quieter main street and a little shop before heading home. It was a much needed break and time away, very relaxing.

We had another family weekend the following weekend, with Amanda home for Charlotte's birthday seafood extravanganza and BBQ the following evening. A good time had by all.

I ended the month with a Sunday afternoon bus trip around a few art galleries with the Art Gallery Society. Linda and I had a lovely time on a perfect spring afternoon, visiting Timeless Textiles, Curve Gallery, Art Systems Wickham, and Creative Incubator where we bought some art as jewellery and had a lovely afternoon tea and wine.

As always my regular outings to the markets, soccer, bookclub, and One Song Sing. Still meeting at Babylon, a glorious venue, in August we got our rap on with TLC's Waterfalls, and in September, our 80s vibe with Hold Me Now by The Thompson Twins. Always fun and joyful!

My reviews for August and September.

And additional pics.