JOSH SZEPS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Josh Szeps is a natural with a microphone, no doubt. I’d bet my house that he’s delivered at least five cracking best man speeches at weddings and MCd a bunch too.

This show lifts the lid on how and why we’re so addicted to our mobile phones and social media and some of it is really interesting. The problem is that too large a proportion of the material was more interesting than it was funny. He calls out intellectual superiority and sanctimonious posturing online which I dug (*squirms*) but I suspect it made the audience too uncomfortable to laugh at times. Discomfort-inducing comedy can be really powerful but I just don’t think there was enough big laughs from this material to pull that off.

The show was beset by problems with the projector, screen and audio he was using and whilst Josh took it in his stride by and large, it was certainly unhelpful and distracting. I hope that can be sorted out to make the delivery smoother for future shows.

The friend I saw this with said she felt like it was more of a TED Talk than a comedy show and I tend to agree. It’s not that the show isn’t good - there’s a lot to enjoy - it’s that I’m not convinced it belongs in a comedy festival. It would help to end the show on a big laugh rather than what felt like a pretty preachy note, I suspect.

Josh is a great raconteur and if you’re interested in a witty and at times alarming look at what social media is doing to us, then this one’s for you. If you’re after big belly laughs, not so much.

Get the details of Josh’s show here.

PS. If Josh’s voice feels familiar it might be because he’s a regular on ABC TV, radio and podcasts but it might also be, as it was in my case, because it’s so damn similar to that of his father, Henri Szeps! I kept thinking to myself, he sounds so much like the guy from Mother and Son*, and once I googled it I knew why!

*I didn’t know I knew Henri’s voice so well until this moment!

ANNE EDMONDS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Have you ever heard the expression ‘they’ve got funny bones’? You know, that one applied to people that just seem to be funny to the core and you know would be bloody great company over a few wines at dinner? Ladies and gentlemen, I present Anne Edmonds.

You might recognise Anne from the TV shows Have You Been Paying Attention? or Get Krack!n and there’s a reason she pops up so regularly; she’s bloody hilarious.

Anne is playing a pretty big room at the Melbourne Town Hall this year and it’s testament to her skill and popularity. She’s a natural when chatting to the crowd, beautifully physical when it helps nail a punchline and just completely at ease on stage, cruising with the microphone telling really funny stories. She turns the mundane (someone choking on a waffle in a cafe and road rage) into the hilarious.

Anne’s show “What’s wrong with you?” is well worth a look. Get the details here.

CASSIE WORKMAN (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Cassie Workman’s show “Giantess” is funny, poignant and interesting. What more could you want?!

Cassie recently returned to stand-up having started transitioning from a man (accomplished stand-up comedian Michael Workman) to a woman in 2017. I mention this only because it’s highly relevant to the show, which explores the complex situation of your gender identity not matching your body. I know that sounds heavy and of course it is in a way but that’s the incredible beauty of this show - Cassie somehow manages to talk about this in a funny and charming way. I also learnt a bit too but don’t let that put you off if it’s not usually your cup of tea!

The narrative of the show is a fairytale of sorts featuring a troll and the giantess. This is an incredibly funny and clever show but it’s also poignant in a light way that will move you.

The one practical criticism I have of the show is that the chairs were in rows where each person is directly in front/behind, rather than alternating so people’s heads are between each other giving a clear line of sight. I had a fairly tall person sitting in front of me (and I’m fairly tall myself!) and his head entirely blocked my view of the screen on stage Cassie was using. I couldn’t really lean over without clanging heads with the people next to me so I basically missed most of the laughs that were generated by the on-screen material.

Get the details of Cassie’s show here.

NATALIE HARRIS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This show, “Babycino”, is Natalie’s fifth solo stand-up comedy show and it’s a really funny look at her experiences as a waitress. You know how people can be real jerks? She’s seen it all and turned it into some gold.

There was about 15 people in the audience when I saw Natalie and I was struck by what a natural she is on stage and how she deserves to be playing much bigger rooms.

The waitress material was good but it was her material about video stores that really killed and the stuff about dating apps was solid despite it being well-worn territory. It all would have benefited from more people in the room to bring the laughs to life.

Natalie knew her material really well and the show went by quickly which is always a sign that you’ve been engaged.

For me this is probably a 3.5 star show and worth the pretty cheap ticket price.

Get the details of Natalie’s show here.

JUDITH LUCY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The master. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Do not miss this show.

Details here.

NINA OYAMA (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is Nina’s debut comedy festival show. There’s a bucket-load of potential here but it’s early days and she’s not living up to it just yet.

She had a good audience size of about 25 given it’s her first show at the festival thanks to appearances on Utopia and Tonightly, I presume. I got the feeling the audience was urging her on; we wanted her skill to match her undeniable enthusiasm.

Nina stumbled along the way, just in the way you’d expect from someone trying something bloody difficult for the first time, but the source material of formative years living in Bathurst and racking up 13 driving offenses was a goldmine she often tapped effectively.

I hate to get too armchair psychologist about it but I suspect the person Nina needs to believe she’s good at stand-up is Nina herself. More than once she put herself down with comments like, “don’t worry, this will be over soon”. They were throw-away lines but they were reflections of self-doubt that reminded us she wasn’t always nailing it.

I reckon in about five or ten years we’ll be talking about Nina in the way we talk about the likes of Celia Pacquola. For now the potential is there, she just needs loads more flying hours ‘til we’re safe in her hands, and she trusts that we’re safe in her hands.

Get the details of Nina’s show here.

TITUS O'REILY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I follow Titus on social media and listen to his podcast so I really like the cut of his jib. His sharp and funny observations about sport (and to a lesser extent politics) are some of the best going round.

That’s part of the reason it pains me to say that I didn’t love this show “Better Living Through Sport”. It’s certainly not a bad show but to be frank I didn’t laugh that much and I wasn’t alone. He made lots of witty observations but they’re the kind of thing you get from him for free all year round on social media and his podcast “Titus and Sergio’s Variety Hour”. Observations that make you smile or even chuckle but not often cack yourself laughing like lots of comedy festival-goers would hope. The contrast between what was going on in his room and the neighbouring room, from which raucous laughter bled through the walls, was stark.

The friend I saw this with isn’t a Titus fan like me (as in she didn’t know of him, not doesn’t like him) so I was really curious to know what she thought. I think her view can be summarised by her observation that “there’s a point at which sarcasm becomes intellectual snobbery”.

I reckon if you’re a fan of Titus you’ll get exactly what you’d expect and hope for in this show - a bunch of witty and clever observations about sport and the AFL especially. If you’re a fan of comedy and want big LOLZ, I don’t reckon this is the show for you.

Get the details of Titus’ show here.

LESSONS WITH LUIS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Wow. What a ride!

If you’ve never heard of Lessons with Luis, it’s a unique concept. It’s hard to explain to be honest but Luis is a character played by a very talented comic actor and Luis’ brother Luelin also features in this show. (Past shows have included Luis’ dad, a neighbour and others, I think.)

In this year’s MICF show “Stickin’ Together”, Luis and Luelin are working on a sitcom. The show includes plenty of slapstick which appeals to me as well as some baffling - in a funny way - songs. The image of Luis dressed as a salt shaker is emblazoned on my memory and still makes me smile the next day.

I think the thing about Lessons with Luis is that you’re either on board or not. If you’re familiar with Lessons with Luis and enjoy the style of comedy then I reckon you’ll get exactly what you want from this. If you’re not but are open-minded and curious, I’d suggest spending a little time on their YouTube page to establish whether it’s your cup of tea or not.

The friend I saw it with said it reminded her of “a combination of The Mighty Boosh and Julian Clary”, with inspiration from early 90s comedy. If you have even a passing knowledge of TMB and Julian Clary you’ll know how out of left field that combination is. Welcome to Lessons with Luis! Madness!

I laughed lots in this show but often in a ‘what on earth is going on?’ kind of way. If you’re a bit adventurous and want to try something that’s definitely not someone just standing at a mic talking, give this a whirl.

Get the details of Lessons with Luis here.

GUY MONTGOMERY (NZ) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Guy Montgomery’s show ‘I was part of the problem before we were talking about it’ (catchy!) hints at the tricky content he tackles in the show; sexual harassment, opression, exclusion and more. Does he pull it off? Allllmost but not quite for me.

It’s incredibly difficult to make comedy out of such serious and complex subject matter and in many parts of the show Guy does it really well - I certainly laughed a lot in this. But to cover subject matter like this in a sufficiently nuanced way requires a hell of a lot of explaining and at times Guy seemed to be talking for an awfully long time without there being a gag. He even acknowledges it himself, at one point saying, “I’ve done it again. You’re thinking, where are the jokes, Montgomery?” … he was right.

When Guy Montgomery is good, he’s superb and I’d say about two thirds of this show fall into that category. The rest of the show isn’t without merit - for example he’ll challenge you to consider whether just not being a bad guy is enough anymore - but for people who just want lolz, those parts will feel like a drag.

I’m a big fan of Guy’s laconic style and frankly a New Zealand accent makes anything 20% funnier so chuck this guy on your list if you’re keen for plenty of laughs and some though-provoking moments.

Get the details of Guy’s show here.

ADAM ROZENBACHS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This show from Adam Rozenbachs - a best-of from years worth of shows - is a funny stand-up comedy show. Will it blow your mind? Nup. Is it worth $25 for an hour of solid stand-up comedy? You bet.

Adam is an absolute natural on stage. You can tell he has many, many flying hours.

Some of the material covered some well-worn territory (activated almonds, anyone?!) but even topics that don’t break ground can be really funny and his observations about drinking alone certainly spoke to the audience. I mean, not me of course, but other people seemed to enjoy it…

Get the details of Adam’s show here. It’s a short run so don’t drag your feet.

GEORGIE CARROLL (UK) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Georgie’s name is listed on the Comedy Festival website as “Nurse Georgie Carroll” and make no mistake, the focus of this show is on Georgie’s tales of being a nurse in both England and more recently in Australia following her move to Adelaide from Manchester.

You don’t need to be a nurse to enjoy this show - my 19 year old nephew and I both loved it! A bit of banter with the crowd established there were many nurses in the room and there was certainly the odd treat for them which the rest of us didn’t enjoy quite as much but not so many as to alienate the non-nurses.

I’d highly recommend this show, especially if you’re in health care but it’s honestly a hilarious joy for anyone. Just ask Georgie, she refreshingly cacked herself laughing throughout!

Get the details of Georgie’s show here.

BRETT BLAKE (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is the first time I’ve seen Brett Blake, a self-confessed bogan from Perth, do stand-up. He has a really relaxed presence on stage which leaves you inclined to be on his side.

His show “Bogan Genius” explores the complexities of life with dyslexia, ADHD and a very high IQ and it’s a pretty amusing ride!

On the night I caught his show there was about 15 people in the crowd including four women in their 50s and 60s who were annoyingly disruptive. Seriously ladies, no one cares for your not funny contributions so just pipe down and let the guy get on with it! Brett handled it admirably but they were certainly unhelpful in his quest to stay on track.

To my mind this is a show by someone who has the ingredients for a fantastic show but for now it’s only a good one. In a few years I reckon he’ll probably be filling much bigger rooms with an audience more suited to his material and they will walk away really satisfied.

On a practical note, Brett swears a LOT so if that’s not for you I’d give this one a miss and the room was really cold so dress warmly. Oh and he has a MAJESTIC mullet so brace yourself for that joy.

Get the info on Brett’s show here.

GERALDINE HICKEY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve seen Geraldine a few times in the past so I know how good she can be. Unfortunately her show this year is good Geraldine but not great Geraldine.

There was some minor first show problems that didn’t help (an IT issue that saw a big screen that would later be used to great effect light up at the wrong moments and the fact there was no ushers to ensure seats near the front were full) but I think Geraldine’s material isn’t as strong this year too.

Her opening gambit took a long time to pay off into laughs which Geraldine herself acknowledged when she wondered aloud, “Is anyone relating to this at all?”

Later in the show when she talked about Christmas, in-laws and gifts saw her soar to the great heights I’ve seen in the past. The small crowd, which we later discovered included said in-laws, really enjoyed this material and gave her the ‘I can relate to that’ laughs she wanted earlier.

I took along a friend who enjoyed the show and said she’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5 but noted that one of those stars is earned simply by getting her out of the house and away from her three children! For me this is more like a 2.5 star show.

Get the details of Geraldine’s show here.

MICHELLE WOLF (US) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Michelle Wolf is an American comedian whose profile rose through the roof this time last year when she was the ‘featured entertainer’ at the Whitehouse Correspondents’ Dinner. The 20 minute routine made headlines around the world for its brutal observations of the Trump administration.

Michelle’s show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is superb. She does not disappoint.

She talks otters being raped, giraffes having babies and takes all sorts of unique tangents but the through-line is absolutely women, men, equality, sex and relationships. Her observations are searing and hilarious.

As the show was coming to an end and my mind briefly wandered to whether I’d note in this blog that she’s not for the faint-hearted (a woman next to me seemed to squirm uncomfortably through observations about vaginal discharge, for example), Wolf started talking about how she’s often described as vulgar. It’s not the word I’d choose. Whether or not you’ll enjoy Wolf sits with you. She is what she is and to my mind the question is, are you too soft to take it?

Michelle is only doing five shows at the festival and many have sold out but if you can get a ticket to the extra show added, I’d highly recommend it. It’s a brilliant show that’s well worth the money.

A couple of practical notes - the venue is really warm so dress light and don’t sit too close to the speakers as for some reason the sound was up painfully high.

Details of her shows, link to buy tickets etc are here.

PET SEMATARY - film

This blog about horror film Pet Sematary is with thanks to guest blogger Jo, making her long-awaited return to the blog!…

“…I vaguely remember the original but do know it’s a bit of a cult favourite. The remake will probably not garner such a cult following.

 Firstly up front, I have to admit that I have a very high tolerance for horror, no doubt fostered by watching Deadly Earnest features on TV with my mum late on Friday nights.

 The movie focuses on a family moving to a very picturesque rural setting and realising that all is not what they had thought or hoped. Odd things start to happen (as they usually do when you venture in the woods alone or go into the basement without turning on the light) when Jason Clarke’s character with direction from John Lithgow as “Jud” unlocks rituals and secrets that should be kept hidden and left alone. There were some genuine shock moments in Pet Sematary, some quirky, humourous moments that had the audience chuckling (sometimes in spots where it probably wasn’t planned), but overall I found this remake somewhat disappointing. Lithgow of course is his usual uniquely excellent self, but the other main actors (Clarke, Amy Seimetz as his wife and Jete Laurence as their daughter) were rather wooden and formulaic. Not scary enough to be true horror and too heavy-handed to be quirkily clever, although the ending is surprisingly unexpected.

 I would give this 2.5 stars, maybe 3 because the cat was at times so adorable (I am a huge cat person). If you enjoy being shocked into a jump in your seat or a hand over your eyes or a grab at your co-viewer’s arm, this might be for you. For me, it was amusing rather than shocking and cliched rather than clever.

 P.S. The promoters handed out really cute, well-made cat masks – a real bonus!”

Pet Sematary opens 4 April. (Rating TBC at time of publishing.) Trailer here.

DESTROYER - film

There’s been a bit of “you’ve never seen Nicole Kidman like this” hype around this gritty drama so I went in with pretty high expectations and sadly they were not met.

Destroyer isn’t bad but it’s only about 3 stars good for me. Kidman’s performance does live up to the hype - she’s excellent - but unfortunately it hasn’t made for an excellent film in my view.

Kidman is hard-drinking and hard-living detective Erin Bell. She’s clearly been through a lot in both her professional and personal life but a case presents itself and it’s clear there’s connections to her past. As always, there shall be no spoilers here but it’s true to say that I didn’t predict either the trajectory or ending of the story.

The West Wing fans will enjoy Bradley Whitford in his small role. He’s a silver fox these days, y’all. *swoon*

The film flips back and forth in time which I’m personally not a big fan of however my bigger objection is to the length. The two hours this runs for feel long and arduous and it would hugely benefit from having 20 minutes trimmed.

The friend I saw this with agreed with me, for what it’s worth. In fact, I think she liked it even less than me. She described it as more stevia than sugar and whilst I would never in a million years have put it quite like that, I knew exactly what she meant. There’s something about it that’s just a bit off.

Here’s a 3.5 star review from Fairfax and a 3.5 star review from News Ltd if you want to read more. They both contain lots more on the plot though, spoilers to some degree.

Destroyer is rated MA15+ and in cinemas now. Trailer here.

SOMETIMES ALWAYS NEVER - film

Sometimes Always Never is a gentle film and I bloody loved it.

By gentle I mean it’s not an assault on the senses like some films are. It’s a drama - a funny drama - that washes over you softly, allowing you to just enjoy it’s loveliness.

The super-talented Bill Nighy is the lead as a retired tailor Alan. Alan has two sons, Michael who went missing years ago and Peter (Sam Riley) who remains in his life as the two of them navigate the question of what could possibly have happened to Michael. The context of Michael’s disappearance is unique and unexpected and sets Alan on unusual path to try to find him - I won’t spoil it.

Bill Nighy is his usual fabulous self in Sometimes Always Never but there’s another hero performance in this film. Sam Riley as Peter is magnificent, to the point that on a couple of occasions I found my mind wandering, thinking about how he’s not a huge star. Perhaps this film will be the launching pad he clearly deserves.

Here’s a four star review in The Guardian if you want to know more about the film. It does go into the details I’ve deliberately avoided above but it definitely won’t spoil the film if you plan to see it.

Sometimes Always Never is well worth your hard-earned. It opens on 14 March and is rated PG. Trailer here.

KING OF THIEVES

The thing that made me make a bit of an effort to see it is the cast. I mean, if you’ve got Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent and Michael Gambon surely it’s going to be a hum dinger!

Alas, whilst this British heist movie isn’t very bad it also isn’t very good. It’s definitely watchable if you happen upon it, but should you make plans to shell out $40+ to see it at the cinema? Nah.

I was the youngest person in the cinema by about 20 years when I saw this so I did wonder to myself whether it’s just that I’m not the target audience. Maybe it’s for Caine’s contemporaries? But I don’t think so. They’re tough critics, the blue rinse set.

The film is full of great actors who do perform quite well despite not having been given much to work with. There’s a moment where Broadbent’s character picks up a chair and throws it in rage but I just didn’t buy it.

A quick plot summary from www.imdb.com: “A true crime film about a crew of retired crooks who pull off a major heist in London's jewelry district. What starts off as their last criminal hurrah quickly turns into a brutal nightmare due to greed. Based on infamous true events.”

Here’s a two star review from new.com.au if you want to read more. Two star reviews seem quite common for this one.

King Of Thieves is rated M and in cinemas now. Trailer here.

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY - film

Perhaps like me you see “The Rock” and wrestling in the ads for Fighting With My Family and think to yourself, no thank you! But I reckon you should give this one a chance, folks. Sure it’s about wrestling on the face of it but there’s more to this film.

It’s based on the true story of a young female British World Wrestling Entertainment fighter Paige (Florence Pugh) who fights for her place in the world of professional wrestling having grown up in a family of wrestling enthusiasts. Paige’s brother Zac (Jack Lowden) is desperate for success as a professional wrestler too and the stories of the brother and sister work really well alongside each other, with very different outcomes.

Fighting With My Family is written and directed by Stephen Merchant who is a really accomplished comic actor and writer and he’s a big part of the reason you shouldn’t underestimate this film. I mean, it’s not going to win an Oscar any time soon but it’s charming and funny and has a range of affirming but not preachy messages. Teenage girls especially could take a lot from this film, I reckon.

The cast includes Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost, Dwanye ‘The Rock’ Johnson as himself and a little surprise treat for fans of both Gavin and Stacey and The Bold and the Beautiful (2010-2016 era) TV shows, remarkably.

I reckon this review of Fighting With My Family in Vanity Fair is, well, fair, and you should read it if you want to know more about the story - much more as it does contain spoilers.

Fighting With My Family opens 21 March and is rated M. Trailer here.

GRETA - film

This film is terrible. I’m sorry but there’s no two ways about it.

If you plan to see this despite my opening line, fair warning that there’s mini spoilers ahead.

Greta is a drama/thriller which is sufficiently bad as to make it not in any way thrilling. Actually that’s not fair. There is some suspense but I and much of the audience I saw it with laughed our way through many of the (meant to be) suspenseful moments.

Greta (Isabelle Huppert) is a lonely lady living by herself (or is she?!) in New York. At first it seems like she’s just lonely but in fact she’s deeply troubled. Her deal is to leave handbags as traps on the subway which innocent young women like Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) pick up and return to her at her lair sorry I mean home.

You know how in spoof horror films the hot young characters do things where you can tell with absolute certainty that something bad will happen to them but that’s the point because it’s implausible and funny and predictable? Sadly Greta’s got a bit of that about it.

I can’t in good conscience recommend this to you so I’m going to leave it at that. If you want to know more about the film check out this two star review in The Guardian which amusingly calls Greta a “dim-witted thriller”. Indeed.

Greta opens in cinemas on 28 February and is rated MA15+. Trailer here.