THE HOLDOVERS - film

This film is a joy! It’s about 25 minutes too long at 2 hours 13 minutes but otherwise I highly recommend it.

Paul Giamatti plays a grumpy, principled high school history teacher Mr Hunham who draws the short straw and has to stay at school over the Christmas holidays to supervise the boarding students who don’t have anywhere to go. To cut to the chase, the small student group whittles down to just one, a cheeky kid called Angus whose story winds up being way more complicated than Mr Hunham or anyone could have predicted. They form a bond of sorts along with the school caterer Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is also around for the Christmas holidays to cook for them. Randolph steals the show in this - she gets some good gags to deliver and also has her own moving story that emerges.

The Holdovers is rated M and in cinemas now. Here’s a four star review if you want to read more.

MEAN GIRLS - film

I wish it were better news, team.

I didn’t love Mean Girls BUT I didn’t hate it so … here we are in middle-town, I guess?

There’s basically two audiences for this ‘remake’ of the 2004 version, I reckon. I’m in one of them (people who liked the original and are back for more with a nostalgic lens) and my 16 year old niece who I saw it with is in the other (young kewl people) so I reckon we have this covered for you. There’s a third outlier group whose view I can also bring you - people aged 40+ who haven’t seen the original.

In summary…

Me: As mentioned, didn’t love, didn’t hate - 2.5 stars.

16 year old: Bit the same, liked some elements, didn’t like others - 3.5 stars.

40+ year old woman who hasn’t seen original: Enjoyed it way more than she expected to but had pretty low expectations - 4 stars.

Australian actress Angourie Rice plays the main character and she’s excellent, so that’s something. That kid is going places.

OOOOH IMPORTANT FACT YOU MAY NOT KNOW …. this is a musical! The distribution company seems to have been at pains to conceal this; you certainly wouldn’t know it from the trailer. But if you’re a kewl young gal about town like my niece, of course you know that because you’re all over the talents of the other main actress in the film - the meanie/baddie - Renee Rapp. She sure can sing, and a lot better than Angourie.

Here’s The Guardian giving it three stars, if you want to read a proper review.

Mean Girls is rated PG, runs 112 minutes and is in cinemas now. It’s a ‘wait til it’s on a streaming service’ for me.

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT - film

MEH

How did director George Clooney make this remarkable true story about a group of young men learning very quickly to row and winning a gold medal so dull?! The Boys in the Boat is paint-by-number film making. And to release it during awards season when there’s so many brilliant films around was dumb. Good one, delusional Hollywood executives!

• Young man from poor origins trying to pull himself up by his bootstraps who, you won’t believe it, is handsome … TICK

• Beautiful young woman by his side … will she distract or inspire him?! … TICK

• Wise old man who doesn’t say much but when he does it’s somehow profound and insightful … TICK

• A privileged enemy who tries to unfairly stop the fairytale story in its tracks … TICK

• Team struck by adversity in the form of a suddenly sick member … will he come good in time to row for the gold medal?! … TICK

This film is so vanilla I could barely stay interested for most of it which really makes no sense when you consider that the true story on which it’s based is really quite cool. To be fair, my interest did pick up at the end to some degree but the reality is, Hollywood ain’t making films about rowing teams that came second so we knew they were going to win.

Give The Boys in the Boat a miss I reckon. How sad.

It’s getting mixed reviews - two stars from The Guardian and a more positive 3.5 stars from The Age. Check out one of these if you’d like to know more about the storyline but tbh I wouldn’t bother.

The Boys in the Boat is in cinemas now. It’s rated PG and runs for 124 minutes.

ANYONE BUT YOU - film

A truly awful movie. Don’t waste your money or time.

POOR THINGS - film

This film is absolutely bonkers and you should absolutely see it! I loved it!

I noticed the Wikipedia entry for the film describes it as “science fantasy black comedy” which I share because I think it gives you a sense of how hard it is to categorise it as one thing. It’s definitely funny and darkly so and I wouldn’t call it science fiction per se so I get why ‘science’ made the cut without the fiction bit and it’s definitely fantasy!

I’ve thought a lot about whether to to try to fill you in on the plot but a) the plot and concept are sufficiently nuts as to make it almost impossible to cut to the chase and b) I think there’s joy in going in blind to Poor Things.

Emma Stone will win Best Actress at all the awards ceremonies for this, mark my words. She’s spectacular in the lead as Bella Baxter, a quirky AF role.

This film isn’t for everyone but if you have an open mind and enjoy things that are a bit brain bendy then I highly recommend Poor Things.

If you do want more details - I get it, I get it - read this review in Variety which is very positive and explains the premise and plot of the film, which is written by Aussie Tony McNamara.

Poor Things opens 26 December, is rated MA15+ and runs for 141 minutes. (A smidge too long in my view but it’s good so you’ll survive, just as I did.)

WONKA - film

Well this was fun!

WONKA is a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka. Whilst he ought not expect to win a Grammy or Tony any time soon for his singing - yes Wonka is a musical - it’s serviceable, and his acting is perfect for this role with just the right amount of kooky.

This origin story of the ultimate chocolate maker is full of interesting characters and familiar faces. Willy is trying to make his start as a chocolate entrepreneur but is up against a bunch of baddies. Olivia Coleman is flippin’ glorious as Mrs Scrubbit, a role unlike anything I’ve seen her in before, and a trio of chocolate-making competitors including Matt Lucas as 'Prodnose,’ bring some funny and at times slightly dark vibes. Hugh Grant as Oompa Loompa (yes there’s only one in this - for shame!) is also excellent though he appears less than I expected given his prominence in the promotion of the film.

The songs in Wonka are good though I dare say won’t catch on quite like some other musical soundtracks have of late. I like a musical but I know they’re not for everyone!

So in short, is Wonka perfect? Nah, but it’s jolly good fun and I’d happily recommend it. The kids at the premiere all seemed to love it too though thinking of them does remind me that it’s a smidge too long if you ask me, especially for a kids’ film.

Here’s a 4 star review in The Guardian if you’d like to read more. It’d be 4 stars from me too and the two people I saw it with, including a 16 year old, concurred.

Wonka opens Thursday 14 December, is rated PG and runs for 116 minutes.

BOTTOMS - film

Gosh this was a good time! Bottoms is a coming of age/high school movie that’s modern and funny but not for everyone and not for the faint-hearted. I reckon my teenage niece would love it but I reckon my octogenarian father would react the same way as the old wowser critic I was sitting near at the media screening who said at the end, “Well that was awful.” WHATEVER, OLD DUDE! THIS ONE IS NOT FOR YOU AND YOUR KIND!

The two main characters, lesbian high school students PJ & Josie, cook up a dumb plan (you don’t need the details!) and the result is hammy and silly but often funny. These two actresses - Rachel Sennott (also co-writer) and Ayo Edebiri - are both brilliant and among a wider cast of equally excellent young actors. I reckon this will be a break-out opportunity for many of them!

So to cut to the chase, if you’re an old wowser give this a miss but if you’re fun and don’t need every damn thing to make sense and be realistic and just want some lols, get along to Bottoms for some great laughs!

Here’s a proper review (4 stars) if you want to read more.

Bottoms run 92 minutes (YES!!) and is rated MA15+ and opens Thursday 30 November.

SALTBURN - film

Hooo boy, Saltburn - a black comedy psychological thriller - is something else. In a good way! It’s terrific. I saw a review that described it as “a tale of grotesque overprivilege” and to that I say, BOOM, you are correct good lady.

Starring faces familiar to *ahem* my vintage, Saltburn features Rosamund Pike and Richard E Grant (both hilarious in this) as well as Hot Young Things Jacob Elordi (Euphoria & Priscilla) and Barry Keoghan (Banshees of Inisherin). There’s also a relatively small but hilarious role for Carey Mulligan.

Set in the early 2000s, Saltburn follows Ollie (Keoghan) to Oxford University where he’s known as the scholarship kid wearing clothes from op shops. He strikes up a friendship with aristocratic Felix (Elordi, who is Australian) and is introduced to Felix’s family and whole world when he visits their country manor Saltburn for the summer. WEIRD STUFF HAPPENS IN THE SUMMER AT SALTBURN YOU GUYS. Like, super weird. Honestly, I gasped numerous times! I also laughed a lot too so it’s not all bleakly gasp-worthy!

Regular readers will know I love a film that runs 90-100 minutes and at 131 minutes I reckon Saltburn could have easily coped with a 20-25 minute trim and still been an excellent film, but it’s a small gripe really.

Saltburn is rated MA15+ and opens on Thursday 16 November 2023.

OPPENHEIMER

J Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist born in 1904 and ‘Oppenheimer’ is a biopic, starring Cillian Murphy as the man himself, that hones in on his time leading a top-secret project to build nuclear weapons and specifically to create a bomb to end World War II. Spoiler alert - he was successful in doing so.

Now, we need to talk about the fact that this film is three hours long. Long-time readers of this blog will know I’m a 90-100 minutes kinda gal and I know I’m not alone! A three hour film is literally twice as long as a good film should be! (My view is correct… der.) For me, Oppenheimer is too long in the general comfort and attention span way but also content-wise, it could comfortably be 30-60 minutes shorter and be a great film. I think there’s a tendency to assume longer = better (epic!) and maybe more likely to win awards and I’m just not here for that. *steps off soap box*

The film jumps around in time and context and it’s easy to follow (and if I think it’s easy to follow it is - I typically get confused by films that do this) but this is an indication of how much is going on in the story. There are two US government hearings to cover as well as Oppenheimer’s life and work including his romantic relationships. (He was a bit of a dirty dog, you see, though the film doesn’t focus hugely on this.)

The first act of the film is the build up to whether Oppenheimer and his team will successfully build the atomic bomb. It’s long - too long - and seeks to build tension as indicated by the soaring soundtrack to these moments. But here’s the thing … I didn’t feel any tension. At all. I’ve pondered whether this is because I knew they would successfully get the bomb off the ground (pardon the pun) but I’m not sure it’s that. But I’m not sure what it is.

There’s an all-star cast. Cillian Murphy leading (he’s excellent), Robert Downey Jnr (also excellent, playing a political enemy of Oppenheimer), Emily Blunt (wife), Florence Pugh (fling), Matt Damon (military boss) and Rami Malik in a surprisingly small role.

Oppenheimer is, by and large, getting very positive reviews. Lots of 4 and 5 stars including this 5 star review in the Daily Telegraph. For me it’s more like 3 and whilst I didn’t ask him for a star rating, the friend I took to the screening agreed with me that it didn’t live up to the hype. So we’re a sample of just two but for what it’s worth, The Age has given it 3.5 stars and is certainly less glowing than many.

This blog is a bit longer than I like them to be. I blame the length of Oppenheimer - look what they made me do! I’m a mess! So here’s me cutting to the chase on Oppenheimer … it’s not as good as I hoped or expected but it’s not terrible, far from it. Heaps of people will like it. But you’ve gotta be up for three hours. ARE YOU UP FOR THREE HOURS?!

Oppenheimer is in cinemas now and is rated MA 15+.

BARBIE

Oh Barbie. My fear is that, in trying to be something for everyone this film has become nothing for anyone. Because, to cut to the chase, this film isn’t ideal for kids and isn’t ideal for adults and that just leaves… teenagers? I guess to be fair, there were plenty of teenages in the screening I was at and they seemed to love it.

Quick (sorta) synopsis: Margot Robbie plays the main Barbie (perfect - she’s stunning) and whilst living in Barbieland, a world full of happy, successful and diverse* Barbies and Kens including main Ken played by Ryan Gosling (also perfect - also stunning), she has an existential crisis which sees her visit the real world. Honestly, the storyline of how she gets there, what she does there, and how it’s resolved is all just silly but hey, this isn’t claiming to be intellectual. But maybe it is with Greta Gerwig as director … my brain doesn’t know how to process this!

To expand re kids and adults, I think most of the storyline will just go completely over kids’ heads. It’s not a kids’ film in the way, say, Frozen is. Since I don’t have kids I wanted to test this thinking with people who do and my sample size of two - thanks H & M and L & W - confirmed that thinking. It’s not that it would be problematic for kids - there’s plenty of colour and great songs to entertain - but I just think they’ll potentially get bored and they’ll be disappointed if they go into it thinking it’ll be comparable to Frozen!

And re adults, well, we’re not a homogenous bunch I guess but for me, whilst I enjoyed the high-brow gags, the feminist themes and the camp performances (Ryan Gosling kills it) overall it was just a bit … dumb?!

So in summary, I didn’t love it but certainly didn’t hate it. And frankly no matter what the reviews said (they’re mixed) I would have seen this just to satisfy my curiosity and I suspect many readers will be the same! So go forth and see this and let me know what you think please, especially if you take kids!

Barbie is in cinemas now. It runs 114 minutes and is rated PG.

* three cheers for there being a fat woman (Barbie!) on the big screen and her being happy and not miserable! There are happy fat people you guys! (Massive tangent now but if you’ve seen The Whale and particularly if you liked it, read this please and thank you)

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

It’s that time again! We are so lucky to have this festival in Victoria! I’m going to let you know about two shows I’ve seen but also give some general recommendations for the festival and comedy from the comfort of home too.

Prue Blake: I caught Prue’s show with a friend and we really enjoyed it! It’s Prue’s first solo comedy festival show and for a first-timer, it was really funny! Her show ‘Unfriended’ explores some of the funny complexities of friendships, especially when you’re younger - lots to relate to! There’s a line in her show about dulce de leche which still makes me chuckle when I hear her in my head saying it. Prue could easily end up in the next crop of successful comics like Anne Edmonds and Celia Pacquola … she’s got the talent and more flying hours on stage will help polish her act.

Laura Hughes: You might recognise Laura’s face from TV shows such as At Home Alone Together and Legally Brown. Her common name, though, is the basis for this show in which she introduces us to six characters, all named Laura Hughes. The opening gambit - a TED Talk-delivering wellness guru - is strong and funny but the second of six - a woman who show jumps dogs - was a low point which I’m surprised she hasn’t ditched from the show given it’s pretty clear she can see it’s not a winner. (It’s a shame - that concept has such potential and with time it could have been so much better.) Watching Millionaire Hotseat with her ill father was a throughline of the show and the excerpts she played on stage were as baffling as they were hilarious but unfortunately the ending to the stand up routine where she circles back to the death of her father fell flat. The crowd just didn’t know what to do with such a sombre ending and there hadn’t been enough discussion of her dad through the show for us to be engaged with the return to the topic. My friend and I both agreed this is probably a 2.5 star show but in the interests of fairness, there was a man-spreading gent in the row in front of us who laughed A LOT AND VERY LOUDLY so she was obviously more up his alley than ours!

Having only caught two shows myself so far, here’s some suggestions of comics I’ve seen and loved in the past… (I can’t vouch for their 2023 shows but past quality is often a good yardstick!) Try Anne Edmonds (though she’s doing disappointingly few shows this year), Geraldine Hickey, Nath Valvo doing a best-of, Dave O’Neil & Luke Heggie.

And for those who want to LOL from your comfy couch instead of get out and see a show (BUT YOU SHOULD GET OUT AND SEE A SHOW!) here’s some great stand-up you can watch for free on ABC iView…

Celia Pacquola - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/celia-pacquola-all-talk

Zoe Coombs Marr - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/zoe-coombs-marr-bossy-bottom

Judith Lucy - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/judith-lucy-vs-men

Anne Edmonds - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/anne-edmonds-what-s-wrong-with-you

2023 MICF gala - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/melbourne-comedy-festival/series/2023/video/LE2216V001S00

AIR - film

AIR is a drama about the creation of the ‘Air Jordan’ brand by Nike, named for basketball superstar Michael Jordan. It’s so good!

Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman and Marlon Wayans, it takes us behind the scenes of how one super enthusiastic Nike executive - Damon as Sonny Vaccaro - negotiated the then unlikely deal that set a new and unmatched standard for sports branding.

This film is good old-fashioned Hollywood storytelling and well worth your hard-earned to get along and see. And a good one for couples or groups with diverse taste - it has broad appeal and will be enjoyed by most I reckon. Enjoy!

AIR is rated M, runs 112 minutes and opens in Australia on 5 April. Here’s a positive review in the New York Times if you want to read more.

ALLELUJAH - film

Look, Allelujah is… well… it’s… a bit baffling, truth be told.

I’m well up for anything containing Jennifer Saunders, Dame Judy Dench and Russell Tovey so I didn’t need to be asked twice to see this one. Whilst funny here and there, it’s not a comedy, so don’t go along to this thinking you’ll see Jennifer Saunders at her comedic best. Dramatic best? Sure. But even her dramatic acting skills can’t save this film from the very puzzling change of tone, direction etc about three quarters of the way through! Honestly, it was like it became a completely different film with the shift sign-posted with a melodramatic change in music just to make sure you understand ‘things are now BAD’. And then even if you could go along with the ‘things are now BAD’ gear change, there was yet another super weird gear shift where one of the characters in the film talked down the barrel of the camera about the importance of the National Health Service in the UK. It was thematically linked to the film but it’d be like Harold Bishop delivering a monologue about the value of the Salvos for the last few minutes of an episode of Neighbours! The audience is left to think, well, sure, but that’s a completely weird way to end Neighbours, WTF!

I concur with this two star review in The Guardian which you can read if you’d like to know more about the film. (When I’ve told you I think it’s baffling and not worth seeing it seems pointless to go into the plot … cut to the chase & all that!) In the interests of balance, here’s a four star review from The Telegraph UK

Allelujah opens April 6, runs 99 minutes (YESSSS) and is yet to be classified.

CHAMPIONS - films

Against his will initially, Marcus (Woody Harrelson) winds up coaching a basketball team of people with a disability. You won’t believe it guys … he comes to love it! Truly, if a bunch of children yelled “he’s behind you!” in this film, as though they were watching a pantomime in London starring a washed up Neighbours cast member, it wouldn’t have been a surprise, such is this film’s predictability.

BUT! In spite of its predictability there is some real joy in Champions. I mean, how refreshing to see such a diverse cast of people with diverse abilities on the big screen! And the reminder, if a little twee, that pursuits like basketball aren’t all about winning is kinda good for the soul.

I am curious about what people with a disability think of this film and hoped to share some representative views with you but the review embargo lifted just one day before release so I haven’t been able to find any yet in that small window. All of which is to say… if people with disability have any objections to how they are portrayed in this film, we should listen.

Here’s a 3.5 star review in The Age of Champions if you want to read more. Probably a smidge generous for me … more like 3 here.

Champions opens 9 March, is rated M and runs 124 minutes.

WOMEN TALKING - film

Hoooo boy. This film is excellent! But it’s not easy going.

This is an adaptation of a 2018 novel about a large group of women in a remote, isolated, religious community who are being traumatised, physically and emotionally, by the men of the community. You never see the abusive men in this film - it’s firmly focused on the women. And what a cast of women it is! You don’t have to ask me twice to watch Frances McDormand in anything. (Though she doesn’t get a lot of screen time, disappointingly.) Rooney Mara and Claire Foy are also compelling.

The men of the community are taken into custody for their crimes but their release is inevitable. The women have a brief moment, with the men absent, in which they can possibly change the course of their lives. But of course they don’t all agree on what to do. So they talk … a lot. It’s fascinating and moving and complicated.

Someone in the screening I was at started a round of applause at the end which is very rare* but the sign of a terrific movie**.

Here’s a five star review of the film from The Guardian if you want to read more.

Women Talking is rated M, runs 104 minutes and opens on 16 February.

* Thank goodness. So lame!

** Or that there’s a dufus in attendance.

SPOILER ALERT - film

No that’s what the film is called, it’s not me sign-posting that I’m going to spoil something!

Spoiler alert is a drama starring Sally Field … that’s basically all I knew when I walked into the cinema right as it was starting. HOOOOO BOY I was not prepared for what happens next.

*ALERT* THIS FILM IS VERY VERY SAD.

It opens with the aforementioned spoiler alert - someone’s gonna die. As the film started to unfold as a love story I though to myself, ‘if this movie is just two people falling in love and then one of them dying I’m gonna be real cranky*’ … and so it was.

So if you need a big ol’ weep to get some stuff of your chest, this is perfect for you. However if you’re remotely fragile you must avoid this like the plague. (Or covid maybe - is that how that saying goes now?)

Here’s a proper review (three stars - fair, I reckon) if you want to read more about the film, which is based on a best-selling novel of the same name.

Spoiler alert open on 9 February in Australia, is rated M, and runs 112 minutes.

*just because that’s an emotional rollercoaster I can live without at the end of a long day!

Summer special

Summer in Australia = Hollywood awards season so this is when movie studios release their biggest and best. I’ve bundled up a few here with a SUPER cut to the chase approach, even shorter than in the past.

SHE SAID - loved this dramatisation of when two young women journalists uncovered Harvey Weinstein’s crimes, it’s absolutely fantastic. Trailer here.

TAR - my friend and I couldn’t believe how bad this was. It’s getting many rave reviews which means our expectations were high. They were not met. Cate Blanchett stars and her performance is incredible but not enough to save this. Long, slow and nowhere near enough tension to be a thriller. Trailer here.

BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - loved this. It’s bleak in parts (animal lovers, prepare for a moment of devastation) but funny and complex and full of excellent performances including from Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Trailer here.

THE FABELMANS - started out enjoying this semi-autobiographical coming of age story by Stephen Spielberg but my god it outstays its welcome. At 2.5 hours it’s 45 minutes too long and you feel it. Michelle Williams’ performance is excellent - I imagine she and Cate Blanchett will fight it out for the Best Actress Oscar. Trailer here.

DON'T WORRY DARLING

Don’t Worry Darling has been called the most talked about film of the year and I reckon that’s probably right. If you’ve missed all that palaver you can catch up here. (I believe he DID spit but what the hell would I know?) The buzz hasn’t really been about whether the film is any good though so your ol’ pal is back to cut to the chase!

Long-time readers will know I’m not a big fan of saying heaps about the plot of the film but the short version is that DWD tells the story of 1950s husband and wife Jack (Harry Styles) and Alice (Florence Pugh), who live in a utopian experimental community named Victory. It’s important to note that it’s badged as a psychological thriller; a fact about this film I suspect is not widely known. This is a spoiler-free zone but I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that all is not as it seems and it’s Alice who spots it and unravels accordingly. The plot twists are real ‘WTF’ stuff and not in a good way but more on that below.

This film starts out ok. Better than I expected, to be honest! The first half or so is three star territory for me. But then Don’t Worry Darling takes an utterly baffling turn (or three), from which it never recovers, landing it comfortably in one star territory. So I guess that’s a sum total of a two star film. (Who said word bloggers aren’t good at maths - I just worked out an average!)

Director Olivia Wilde (who is also a supporting star in the film) has talked a lot about the feminist agenda of the film. I wondered if it had the feminist chops she was claiming but sadly I just don’t reckon it does. Yes, the film focuses on Alice’s sexual pleasure over Jack’s but if you want me to celebrate you as a feminist hero I’m gonna need more than that. You can read more about this in The Guardian’s article ‘The empty feminism of Don’t Worry Darling’ if you’re interested.

Ordinarily two stars wouldn’t have me encouraging you to see this film but in a funny way, I do think you should see it if you’ve been following the dramas at all. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching the film to ‘close the loop’, if you will. It’s pretty bonkers and there can be joy in that!

Don’t Worry Darling is rated M, runs 122 minutes and opens 6 October. Trailer here.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I wish I could resist the temptation to open with sappy commentary about how great it is that Melbourne’s back but here’s the thing you guys; Melbourne’s back and good grief it’s a relief. Covid has left it’s dark, depressing stain on so many of us in so many ways but if I may say so, Victorians in particular have had a brutal couple of years. We have earned a laugh and we are so lucky to have the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in our beautiful town. So this is my clarion call to run, not walk, to a show at the festival in the next week before it wraps up.

I’m eschewing the approach I’ve taken in the past by blogging a bunch of individual shows. The truth is, I don’t have it in me to be unkind about anyone (#notallheroeswearcapes) so I’m just going to shine a light on the shows I reckon were ace. This year I’ve seen Dave O’Neil, Judith Lucy & Denise Scott, Sonia Di Iorio, David O’Doherty, Geraldine Hickey, Kirsty Webeck, Chris Parker and Nath Valvo. My favs for rapid-fire big laughs are undoubtedly Denise & Judith and Nath - both shows are well worth your money. Go and book some tickets now! The others were all genuinely pleasurable experiences too with Dave, David, Chris and Geraldine probably in my next tier down.

There’s loads of shows to see so even if none of the names I’ve mentioned here float your boat, just pick something that’s had a good review and make it happen. Book that babysitter, battle the increasingly full roads and trains to work in the office that day, convince your partner to make a night of it and go out for dinner. Truly, Victorians, I promise you that you will definitely not regret going to a little effort to spend the night having a good, restorative, belly-laugh. Get all the details here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2022

An update

It’s been eight months since I saw a film in a cinema and blogged about it thanks to COVID. (A first world problem of the highest order in these times, I know.) For reasons I won’t bore you with I haven’t had the chance to miss it but recently I have contemplated the future of this blog and how I spend my time.

I have decided to change my approach so I’ll be seeing fewer things and posting here less frequently. I won’t be seeing films, theatre or comedy that I’m reliably informed are rubbish anymore and I won’t knowingly see things that profit misogynists, anti-Semites, racists or abusers. Without wishing to bore you with the details of how the sausage is made, deciding I won’t see the mediocre (or worse) stuff might mean I stop getting invited to see the good stuff.

So from now on I’ll just see what interests me if and when I want to (on my own dime, if the invites dry up) and I’ll post on here if I think something is great and you might like to hear about it.

I started this blog because I was frustrated by pretentious film reviews or reviews that seemed to go on and on about the plot without cutting to the chase to answer, is it any good?! I still think there could be more light-hearted takes on the arts but happily they are available more and more.

Changing my approach has allowed me to make my Twitter and Instagram accounts private which is helpful in my professional life. I’ve also ditched hundreds of junk followers and have closed the blog Facebook page.

So I’ll post here from time to time in future when life starts to return to normal and I can get out and see things, just for fun. Hopefully catch you online then!