Australia - the review

I've given this a bit of thought since it is now 24 hours since I saw what is easily the most hyped local film in years.
While my expectations were low, Australia is actually quite a good movie. Seriously, if you can't team Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and just about every half decent Australian actor around and make something worth watching then I'd be very worried.
The big problem the film is going to have though is that while it will appeal to local audiences I think international viewers are going to struggle.
This movie is very Australian. Yes it is spectacularly shot and the setting is breathtaking but it is narrated by an Aboriginal child whose language won't be understood by a lot of people abroad and I think that a lot of it will confuse them. Don't get me wrong, the young boy who plays Nullah, the narrator, does a great job in the film but even I found the narration annoying.
The negatives first: it is far too long at about 160 minutes. I didn't like that Hugh Jackman's character didn't have a name other than The Drover, and the aforementioned narration.
The positives: it was great to see the depiction of the attack on Darwin as the centre of a major film, it is forgotten easily than Darwin has had no luck when it comes to being destroyed. Nicole Kidman wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought she would be and I thought she was actually quite good. David Wenham was excellent as the villainous Neil Fletcher and as said the kid Brandon Walters was great as well.
Luhrmann certainly stamps his movies and Australia is no exception. It is a bit cheesy and there are many references to other iconic films, most notably the Wizard Of Oz which became central to the story. Also a nice nod to the red curtain trilogy (Romeo & Juliet, Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge).
Basically it is a love story, a story of finding your true place in the world, and about prejudice. I have to admit I was a bit concerned about it not being that interesting, even with Oprah's seal of approval.
I'm giving a 7 out of 10, the length probably cost it a 7.5.

Instability

How much life is ruled by the past is consistently amazing me at the moment.
I'm going to use a word that isn't desirable but here it comes - things should be going a lot better than they seem to be.
The instability going on inside is uncomfortable and at times a source of either fear or anxiety. (I have to say though I have improved greatly on the latter score.)
I feel that I should (there it is again) have a better handle on things than I do. Am I expecting too much of myself? Am I too caught up in second guessing myself to actually live properly?
Because that is what it comes down to. A life half lived at the moment.
As much as I'd love to bust out and just do whatever there is something gripping on and holding me back. That is causing the instability. What might happen goes ahead of everything in the thought process.
I have taken many steps forward in the last 18 months or so, some steps back, but it is a net gain. Another step is set to be taken next month but more on that when it happens.
I seem to be always looking over my shoulder, waiting for something bad to creep up on me and set me back again. That in itself is self defeating.
Many people don't get the opportunity to look forward as I have and instead of embracing it I deconstruct it and play on the negative. I am getting better at looking at the positives.
I'm open to thoughts though I realise there is some cryptic stuff going on here. If you know then you know, simple as that.
I know that I can make it to a more stable place. I just want it now.

Not myself

Great song, but that's not the subject today.
I've been a bit, well, not myself the last few days. Not really sure why, or even how to explain it properly. Perhaps it is just one of those speed humps we all have to get over from time to time.

Quantum Of Solace

For a while there I thought I was watching James Bourne in Quantum Of Solace but this is actually the follow up to Casino Royale.
Picking up pretty much here CR left off, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is chasing those who killed Vesper from the previous film even though, as it was pointed out last night, he didn't actually love her.
Soon the hunt is on for the person who tried to kill M (Judi Dench) just to make it a bit more confusing.
The plot is there and there's no use going any further. If I can describe in one word how I felt about this film it is this - meh. (Also my new favourite word, almost anyway).
The opening 20 minutes was fairly entertaining but after that I found it largely uninteresting. No doubting Craig is a good Bond but he doesn't have much to work with here.
Even Dench struggles with what she has been thrown to work with.
Ultimately, Quantum Of Solace isn't a bad film. It's reasonable action but it is not even half as interesting and intriguing as Casino Royale. Back to the drawing board, Bond.
A 5 out of 10.

Newcastle

For some reason, the fact that there is a great story and great message underneath all the surfing and teenage promiscuity in the film Newcastle has been lost.

In the little promotion I have seen there is not a lot of reason to see it unless you are a surfing enthusiast and about 16. But it's a lot better than that.

Set in working class Newcastle, the film centres on 17-year-old Jesse who has his sights set on making the international circuit but lives in the considerable shadow of his older half-brother Victor.

Then there's Jesse's other full-brother Fergus. He's clearly a different creature to his siblings and is ridiculed even by them at times.

When Jesse bombs out of an event their group of mates including Andy, Scotty and Nathan and two lovely lasses head to a secluded beach for a weekend away. What ensues is plenty of frivolity, drinking, sex and discovery.

Fergus is still hassled by the guys except for Andy who accepts him and, dare I say, flirts with him. (It is unclear whether they suggest that a relationship of some kind eventuates or Andy is merely being accepting and friendly and I think that is good).

The only issue I had with the film is that it took a while for me to work out what story they were trying to tell. The use of the water shots were spectacular, especially in slow motion and they used the water as the scene of plenty of confrontations. Again that had great effect.

The cast is largely unknowns, aside from a few familiar faces and a couple of not surprising cameos, and many of them shine, particularly Lachlan Buchanan as Jesse and Kirk Jenkins as Andy.

It is remarkable watching Jesse grow from an arrogant, self centred young man into someone who can learn from his mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Fittingly, there isn't really an ending but there is a direction. It's not perfect but a surprising 8 out of 10.

Hello Love

When an artist produces some of the most inspirational music you have heard any new release is met with a degree of anticipation.
Such is the case with Chris Tomlin's new album Hello Love.
The classic song Indescribable was a number of years ago and is still unmatched in Christian music as far as I am concerned.
As the title suggests the new album is all about love. Not the love that Celine Dion or Justin Timberlake might sing about but the love of God.
And the title track is one of the standouts, sung with the help of the Watoto Children's Group, who I admit I know little about. However, their input is effective.
Unfortunately when you have set such a high bar more often than not there is a fair bit of let down involved. Hello Love doesn't escape this eventuality.
Some of it is classic Tomlin, still the best worship singer of our generation, songs like Jesus Messiah, You Lifted Me Out, With Me and Exalted (Yahweh) are real standouts along with the aforementioned (sort of) title track.
Largely, the rest is a little pedestrian for an artist like him.
Still, five cracking songs is definitely enough to warrant rushing out if you are a Tomlin fan. I have found sometimes the songs I don't like instantly can grow on me so I am not writing off the rest completely because as usual this review is on one or so listens.

A piece of the puzzle

There was an unfortunate incident this week involving my friend who puzzles me.
He was involved in an accident that quite clearly shook him up, though he was a little more concerned about the damage to his vehicle than to himself. Thankfully he was relatively unscathed, aside from a few grazes.
I spent quite a while trying to work out what to say and it was some 12 hours or so later I came up with `you are more important than any bike, it can be fixed'.
Later on we had a bit of a chat, and a rare hug, and he did actually talk a bit which is encouraging. And I got a chance to say don't hesitate to express what's going on if it will help. It was a shame that something like that happened first.
So progress has been made.

Puzzlement

I have a friend who really puzzles me.
He's a great guy, fun, far too impulsive, but he never lets you know what's inside.
That can be frustrating because when you ask the question (you know, how are you going? or what's going on with you? etc) you get some vague `yeah everything's good' or a change of subject. I don't expect to be told all sorts of intimate details but when you know something is going on, a struggle of some kind, but you can't put your finger on it then no communication is hard to take.
Now we've known each other for a while and been through a few tough times so it is not like I'm placing an unrealistic expectation on him.
I know as a guy it can be hard to let things out in the open, the natural instinct is to repress and ignore. I know all about it and I reckon I got pretty good at it over the years.
Let me tell you it is counter-productive.
I just don't know how to approach the situation. Do I just let him be? Should I press harder when we have a chat?
It is hard to care about someone when they won't let you.
There have been times when he has let me. These times were a fair chunk of years ago now, at least they seem that way. I can go back to one particular time that really changed my perception and without going into details (because that would be unfair) I saw the side of him that I know is there and that he seems reluctant to let out these days.
It's easy for me to say all this in a way because I have got a lot better at saying how I feel and I think it is important. I also think it is important to let the people you care about know it too - regardless of gender.
Personally, I think we're all a bit too old (!) to be pushed around by society's desperate need to label everything.

Rocknrolla

It says a lot about a movie when you start looking at your watch.
I started looking at my watch about 90 minutes into Rocknrolla and it wasn't just because I was wondering how long to go.
Whether it was during the making of this film that things went awry between Guy Ritchie (who wrote and directed) and Madonna I'm not sure but he was certainly distracted.
There is absolutely nothing we didn't see in Lock Stock and Snatch and they were much more original and much more action packed. Watching the preview you think you are in for a rollercoaster of a rise into the London underground world of heavies, thieves and hangers-on.
There are positives. It is not a bad film, in fact it is quite satisfactory. However, I expected a lot more than what was delivered.
Good cast, Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson are good as always and Tom Hardy (Bob) and Blae Ritson (Johnny) were among a good support cast. There's a lot of suggestive sex talk and some violence as you'd expect.
All things considered it was okay but disappointing. And I didn't really care what a Rocknrolla was at the end. I won't be seeing The Real Rocknrolla when it is released. A 5.5 out of 10.

Anti-climax

Well the Cup has been run and won and even though Bart Cummings now has his 12th win in the race you can't help but feel it was an anti-climax.
Viewed raced on Saturday and was easily beaten, though a shade unsuited. Still I didn't expect him to perform that well today. I'm happy for the guy who rode the horse as he is a good guy who deserves a win like that.
But, while I didn't back the winner, it still all felt a bit flat.
There's always next year.

Here we go again

Yep, it's that time of the year.
Tomorrow is Melbourne Cup Day. A quick word for the uninitiated, the Melbourne Cup is a horse race, also known as `the race that stops a nation', held at Flemington.
It's virtually a public holiday, it's actually a public holiday in Victoria, for everyone who is interested. It's almost like a religious holiday for me and people at work.
For the record I am tipping an English victory in the Cup (I suppose they should win something because they ain't going to win the Rugby League World Cup with a headstart).
1. Mad Rush
2. Profound Beauty
3. Septimus
Best outsider: Gallopin.

The usual disclaimer applies to these selections. Good luck and happy Cup Day.