Tegan's a young Aussie comic, this is her third MICF show. I saw her first show as there was a bit of buzz around how good it was and I thought she was great that year. Unfortunately this show doesn't live up to that for me. It's not without laughs and she has a commanding stage presence with great capacity for physical comedy and amusing facial expressions but her show last night just didn't fire. There was quite a few jokes that were a bit niche and clearly went over heads. I got the Harry Potter stuff but jokes that required knowledge of Star Wars, Dr Who and even some about AFL passed me by. I felt for her, it was a small and tough crowd including one rather unhelpful guy who kept checking his phone even after she'd called him out on it who also chimed in with a couple of attempts at humour of his own. She didn't let it derail her too much but I think it just added to the awkward feel of the show. At $24 for a ticket, I'm afraid I'll have to file this under 'give it a miss' this time around but I'm confident she'll be back with great shows in future.
Justin Hamilton in 'Johnny loves Mary forever 1994' - MICF show /
This show is beautifully done. Justin in an Australian comic who, though not overly well know, has been at it for about 20 years. You don't have a career that long if you're not any good at your craft! This show is in large part about Justin's experience performing comedy for soldiers in Afganistan. A review of it that I read made the observation that though it's a nicely crafted show, the subject matter just isn't actually that funny so I actually went in not expecting to laugh all that much but I was pleasantly surprised - there's plenty of laughs.
Happily recommend this but it's probably not quite up there with my favourite shows this year such as David O'Doherty and Celia Pacquola.
Happily recommend this but it's probably not quite up there with my favourite shows this year such as David O'Doherty and Celia Pacquola.
Tommy Little in 'Middle class gangster' - MICF show /
Tommy is just delightful. I challenge any of you to see this show and not like him. The show got funnier and funnier as it went along. Chatter with the audience is high risk territory but he does it effortlessly. Some material on sheet thread counts really tickled my funny bone in particular. Middle class indeed.
The pedant in me couldn't help but be a teeny bit disappointed by a joke at the expense of the older people in the crowd referring to them going home to watch The Bill. The Bill hasn't been on TV for almost four years! It's such a small thing it seems silly to even mention it but it just took the sting out of that little bit of the show for me. Doctor Blake or Foreign Correspondent or something would've worked better.
With a 4.5 star review from the Herald Sun, I doubt you'd be disappointed by this.
The pedant in me couldn't help but be a teeny bit disappointed by a joke at the expense of the older people in the crowd referring to them going home to watch The Bill. The Bill hasn't been on TV for almost four years! It's such a small thing it seems silly to even mention it but it just took the sting out of that little bit of the show for me. Doctor Blake or Foreign Correspondent or something would've worked better.
With a 4.5 star review from the Herald Sun, I doubt you'd be disappointed by this.
David O'Doherty in 'David O'Doherty will try to fix everything' - MICF show /
David is an Irish comedian who's been visiting the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for many years now and I think this is about my fifth year in a row seeing him. I try to mix it up when the festival rolls around and see different people but the fact that I see this guy year after year speaks volumes. He's one of my favorite comedians, I would never hesitate to recommend him as he is reliably damn funny. Traditional stand-up mixed with some really witty songs where he accompanies himself on a small plastic keyboard make a killer and unique combination. This show has received a 5 star review in the Herald Sun.
What more do you need?! Go see this guy.
What more do you need?! Go see this guy.
Em Rusciano in 'Divorce the musical' - MICF show /
Loved this. As the name makes clear, it's not a stand-up comedy show, it's a very funny musical show chronicling Em's journey to divorce and ultimately the show she's performing before you.
Some of you might remember Em from an early series of Australian Idol. I'm not an Idol watcher so I hadn't seen her sing before this and HOLY MOLY, the girl can hit those notes! That alone is worth the ticket price. She's accompanied by her dad who's a handy little guitarist and back-up vocalist. If they were ever to release an album, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
If you love a good show, the bells and whistles kind with OTT costumes, fun songs, high kicks and plenty of laughs, then this is for you.
Dave O'Neil in 'Back in my day' - MICF show /
Dave is a classic stand-up comic. No bells and whistles, just a guy with a microphone telling funny stories. And funny they are! I'd happily recommend this though not for the young folk... As the name of the show suggests, it skews towards people 30+.
Celia Pacquola in 'Let me know how it all works out' - MIFC show /
Best show I've seen so far this festival! It has everything. Fabulous delivery and belly laugh after belly laugh.
This show is masterfully crafted, clearly honed over many stand-up gigs in the lead up to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
After Celia's show I felt just like I did after Wil Anderson's show last year - that I'd just seen one of the best in the biz. I hope Celia's performing to crowds as big as Wil's soon, she deserves it.
Highly recommend this show (der)... go and see it!
This show is masterfully crafted, clearly honed over many stand-up gigs in the lead up to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
After Celia's show I felt just like I did after Wil Anderson's show last year - that I'd just seen one of the best in the biz. I hope Celia's performing to crowds as big as Wil's soon, she deserves it.
Highly recommend this show (der)... go and see it!
Karl Chandler in 'Karl Chandler's got talent' - MICF show /
This show documents Karl's ill-fated audition on a talent show and if any of the judges from that show who made his life difficult saw this stand-up, I reckon they'd be feeling pretty stupid because it shows he's a bloody hilarious comic. I laughed heaps and heaps - arguably the most accurate measure of how good a comedy show is. He makes a living from comedy (performing and writing for TV etc) but without a huge following, the tickets to his show are damn cheap. You won't regret what you spend on seeing this.
Lawrence Mooney in 'A stupid liar' - MICF show /
I'd read the Herald Sun's review of this show before I saw it so I went in with low expectations - they gave it 2.5 stars. But I already had the ticket so away I went and you know what, I bloody loved this.
It's a bit smutty and crass in places but I laughed a lot and loud and what better measure of a comedy festival show can there be than that?
I was surprised by how many empty seats there were (especially given it was tightar5e Tuesday)... what's wrong with you, Melbourne?! Get amongst it!
Adam Richard in 'Gaypocalypse' - MICF show /
Adam Richard has been doing stand-up for 15+ years and it shows. He's smooth as thanks to the years of practice. (As a side note, can I also just say he looks a million bucks, I suspect has lost a bunch of weight.)
Like Cal Wilson, I saw Adam this year because he's on of those ones who's been around for yonks and I'd never quite got there. I watched this and enjoyed what he delivered (some of it a bit odd and some of it definitely GROSS!) but it wasn't until I went straight into another show and was cacking myself laughing in it that I realised that was what had been missing from Adam's show. Laughs. I enjoyed listening to him, it was well-crafted and well-delivered but I just didn't actually laugh that much.
Like Cal Wilson, I saw Adam this year because he's on of those ones who's been around for yonks and I'd never quite got there. I watched this and enjoyed what he delivered (some of it a bit odd and some of it definitely GROSS!) but it wasn't until I went straight into another show and was cacking myself laughing in it that I realised that was what had been missing from Adam's show. Laughs. I enjoyed listening to him, it was well-crafted and well-delivered but I just didn't actually laugh that much.
Luke McGregor in 'I worry that I worry too much' - MICF show /
I loved this. Every awkward, unprepared, hilarious moment of it. And it was unprepared - he referred to notes many times and it seemed a bit all over the place! But this is what happens when you're so nerdish and lovable... people can see past it or forgive you for it.
For those unfamiliar with Luke, he has OCD and comes across as very awkward and nervous. As I observed when I saw him for the first time last year, somehow it just works.
Go and see this guy. His star is on the rise!
PS. The one complaint I do have about this show was that the room he was in was so cramped it was utterly ridiculous and it was so hot in there I really thought someone might pass out. I have since read on Twitter that he's moved to a bigger venue - thank goodness.
For those unfamiliar with Luke, he has OCD and comes across as very awkward and nervous. As I observed when I saw him for the first time last year, somehow it just works.
Go and see this guy. His star is on the rise!
PS. The one complaint I do have about this show was that the room he was in was so cramped it was utterly ridiculous and it was so hot in there I really thought someone might pass out. I have since read on Twitter that he's moved to a bigger venue - thank goodness.
Cal Wilson in 'It could have been me' - MICF show /
For years I've been meaning to see Cal Wilson do stand up comedy. She always seems so damn funny, lovely and smart when I see her on TV, read her writing in The Age or hear her on the radio. I decided this was the year and bought a ticket without so much as reading the name of her MICF show, let alone what it's about. Now, that was a bit of an error because her show involves playing characters which isn't really my kind of thing. I also missed the first 10 minutes of the show (was 5 minutes late and had to wait a further 5 (totally fair) before being let in) so I missed what seemed to be the critical set up.
So all in all, I'm sad to say I didn't love this. It's not without laughs and clever moments, but just didn't love it and nor did I laugh all that much. Others in the crowd did, in the interest of balanced reporting!
I've never been late to a MICF show and won't be again, I promise! I also promise, for what it's worth, to see her do comedy again some time when she's doing straight up stand up.
So all in all, I'm sad to say I didn't love this. It's not without laughs and clever moments, but just didn't love it and nor did I laugh all that much. Others in the crowd did, in the interest of balanced reporting!
I've never been late to a MICF show and won't be again, I promise! I also promise, for what it's worth, to see her do comedy again some time when she's doing straight up stand up.
THE DAY OF THE BROKEN - film /
Simon Dutton, writer and director of this thriller, has said of it "''We wanted to make something that was an assault on the senses" and I can assure you, he's done that in spades.
An independent Australian production, this was done on a shoe-string and whilst you can tell in the practical sense, it doesn't take anything away from the story.
It's about a woman whose two children were kidnapped and assaulted before one was murdered. She summons the help of her dead husband's brother to punish the remaining perpetrator who has evaded it through traditional means like police.
Set in St Kilda, Melbourne, the film then weaves through the story of a bunch of people as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together to track down the perpetrator and punish him. Most of these characters will be unfamiliar acting faces to you but there's some superb performances. Lead actor Greg Fleet will be recognized by many for his stand-up comedy work but his acting credentials are well & truly proven in this. The film is produced by someone who may be familiar to many of you, broadcaster and journalist, Angela Pippos, who is also Dutton's wife.
It's fairly violent though it's sometimes implied rather than actually demonstrated and I fear some of the complexity of the plot was lost on me as I was confused at a few points. There was also two or three moments where the script felt a bit forced, moments where I thought to myself 'people don't actually talk like that', but overall I think this is really well done and I'd happily watch it again.
The sad thing for independent Australian films like this is that it's so damn hard to get your film in cinemas for people to actually see it. This one is on at just one cinema, for now at least, in Melbourne - the Classic Cinema in Elsternwick. If you're in that neck of the woods, I'd recommend dropping in to catch it.
More on the film in this story in the Sydney Morning Herald and trailer here via The Age.
An independent Australian production, this was done on a shoe-string and whilst you can tell in the practical sense, it doesn't take anything away from the story.
It's about a woman whose two children were kidnapped and assaulted before one was murdered. She summons the help of her dead husband's brother to punish the remaining perpetrator who has evaded it through traditional means like police.
Set in St Kilda, Melbourne, the film then weaves through the story of a bunch of people as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together to track down the perpetrator and punish him. Most of these characters will be unfamiliar acting faces to you but there's some superb performances. Lead actor Greg Fleet will be recognized by many for his stand-up comedy work but his acting credentials are well & truly proven in this. The film is produced by someone who may be familiar to many of you, broadcaster and journalist, Angela Pippos, who is also Dutton's wife.
It's fairly violent though it's sometimes implied rather than actually demonstrated and I fear some of the complexity of the plot was lost on me as I was confused at a few points. There was also two or three moments where the script felt a bit forced, moments where I thought to myself 'people don't actually talk like that', but overall I think this is really well done and I'd happily watch it again.
The sad thing for independent Australian films like this is that it's so damn hard to get your film in cinemas for people to actually see it. This one is on at just one cinema, for now at least, in Melbourne - the Classic Cinema in Elsternwick. If you're in that neck of the woods, I'd recommend dropping in to catch it.
More on the film in this story in the Sydney Morning Herald and trailer here via The Age.
TRACKS - film /
If I told you this is a film that chronicles a woman walking 2700 kilometres across the Australian desert, what would you say?
"That sounds really boring, Steph!"?
Ding ding ding! You are correct.
There are some redeeming features in the film, including beautiful cinematography capturing the Australian outback, but it's simply not enough to drag this into 'you should go and see' territory. I'd barely recommend it for a DVD viewing to be frank.
It stars Mia Wasikowska, who is an undeniably talented actress and Adam Driver who will be recognised by fans of the US TV show 'Girls' for his portrayal of Adam. But when it comes to casting, special mention must go to whoever cast an Australian actor to play an Afghani person. What an unbelievably weird choice.
The lesson? That someone can do something remarkable and it not be worthy of a 110 minute film.
Here's a 2.5 star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more about the storyline and what their critic Jake Wilson made of it.
Trailer here.
"That sounds really boring, Steph!"?
Ding ding ding! You are correct.
There are some redeeming features in the film, including beautiful cinematography capturing the Australian outback, but it's simply not enough to drag this into 'you should go and see' territory. I'd barely recommend it for a DVD viewing to be frank.
It stars Mia Wasikowska, who is an undeniably talented actress and Adam Driver who will be recognised by fans of the US TV show 'Girls' for his portrayal of Adam. But when it comes to casting, special mention must go to whoever cast an Australian actor to play an Afghani person. What an unbelievably weird choice.
The lesson? That someone can do something remarkable and it not be worthy of a 110 minute film.
Here's a 2.5 star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more about the storyline and what their critic Jake Wilson made of it.
Trailer here.
NEBRASKA - film /
This is nominated for best film at the Oscars so there's no disputing it's a good film. I enjoyed it a lot but in the landscape of what's out at the moment, if you were able to see just one film, I don't think it'd be this one I'd recommend. Great but not must-see great for me. Though shout out to the star of the film, Bruce Dern - my God, he's fantastic in this.
More on the storyline, cast etc in this five star review from the New York Times.
Trailer here.
More on the storyline, cast etc in this five star review from the New York Times.
Trailer here.
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB - film /
When I saw this, I didn't realise it was 'inspired by real events'. In fact, the only reason I rushed to see it on the preview weekend before general release is that I saw the trailer for it one solitary time and thought, 'that looks fantastic'. So there I was and so it was.
I've mentioned in a previous blog post that I've not been much of a Matthew McConaughey fan but as the lead in this, he's just superb. I'm definitely a fan now! This article about Matthew and this film rang true when it mentioned some of his early stuff such as 'How to lose a guy in 10 days'. God, I hated that movie and I think it set me on a path to unfairly hating him.
In this he plays a Texan womanising electrician Ron Woodroof who is diagnosed with HIV in 1985 when treatments were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. He's given a very grim diagnosis but sets about researching and tracking down treatments, regardless of whether they're approved and where they come from. It's such a compelling story, you get totally hooked on him and what will become of him.
Jared Leto was a great choice to play transgender Rayon who becomes Ron's business partner - he's excellent in this too.
Matthew McConaughey won the Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic motion picture a few weeks back and is nominated for best actor at the Oscars also. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took the double, he's brilliant in this.
Read this five star review in the UK Daily Mail if you need further convincing or want a little more background to the story and film.
Trailer here.
I've mentioned in a previous blog post that I've not been much of a Matthew McConaughey fan but as the lead in this, he's just superb. I'm definitely a fan now! This article about Matthew and this film rang true when it mentioned some of his early stuff such as 'How to lose a guy in 10 days'. God, I hated that movie and I think it set me on a path to unfairly hating him.
In this he plays a Texan womanising electrician Ron Woodroof who is diagnosed with HIV in 1985 when treatments were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. He's given a very grim diagnosis but sets about researching and tracking down treatments, regardless of whether they're approved and where they come from. It's such a compelling story, you get totally hooked on him and what will become of him.
Jared Leto was a great choice to play transgender Rayon who becomes Ron's business partner - he's excellent in this too.
Matthew McConaughey won the Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic motion picture a few weeks back and is nominated for best actor at the Oscars also. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took the double, he's brilliant in this.
Read this five star review in the UK Daily Mail if you need further convincing or want a little more background to the story and film.
Trailer here.
12 YEARS A SLAVE - film /
This is an excellent film.
Really, really great.
Perhaps don't go if you're feeling depressed and would like a film that puts a spring in your step but otherwise, I can highly recommend this one. It's been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with good reason.
Trailer here.
It's an adaptation of a memoir
written in 1853 by Solomon
Northup, a free black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into
slavery where he stayed in obviously awful, awful circumstances for 12 years.
So, if
you get the sense this isn't a thigh-slapping good time, you're right.
Perhaps don't go if you're feeling depressed and would like a film that puts a spring in your step but otherwise, I can highly recommend this one. It's been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with good reason.
Trailer here.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - film /
One of the joys of writing about films on my modest (spin doctor alert) blog rather than being a proper film critic is that I don't have to analyze a film in any great depth. I walk out of the cinema and then tell you whether I liked it or I didn't. Whether I think you should spend your hard-earned to see it or not. After all, it's my aim to 'cut to the chase', not provide a review, per se, which you can find on a million other websites.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a little trickier. I saw it over a week ago and have given it quite a bit of thought since then and also read a lot of articles and reviews. As the credits rolled, the two people I was sitting with reacted strongly. One with "I hated that!" and one with "Really? I loved it!".
I enjoyed watching it a lot, in spite of it being three hours long. But I do see my hater-friend's perspective. Some of the characters in the film are truly awful people and that can be hard to watch.
The film is based on the memoirs of dodgy (convicted) stockbroker Jordan Belfort. To say he lived a life of debauchery on his rise to powerful multi-millionaire status would be an understatement and director Martin Scorsese really makes this spectacularly, graphically clear. There's a reason it's rated R here in Australia.
The cast is fantastic. Belfort is played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio, scoring a best actor Golden Globe for his trouble. Co-stars Jonah Hill (with distracting weird fake teeth), Matthew McConaughey, Joanna Lumley and others are all great also. One pleasant surprise for me was Australian Margot Robbie who plays Jordan's wife. Never heard a hint of the Australian accent (same cannot be said of most Aussies in Hollywood) and quite apart from that, it was a terrific performance and I expect we'll see more of her on the big screen soon.
When it comes down to it, I enjoyed watching this film. You might walk out with mixed feelings like I did but I doubt you'll walk out thinking it wasn't worth the $19 ticket price. If you hate anything about it, it will likely be the awfulness of Wall Street depicted, not the film itself. If you see it, I'd love to hear what you think.
This review in The Guardian gave it 3 stars and this one in the UK Telegraph gave it 5 stars. You be the judge!
Trailer here.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a little trickier. I saw it over a week ago and have given it quite a bit of thought since then and also read a lot of articles and reviews. As the credits rolled, the two people I was sitting with reacted strongly. One with "I hated that!" and one with "Really? I loved it!".
I enjoyed watching it a lot, in spite of it being three hours long. But I do see my hater-friend's perspective. Some of the characters in the film are truly awful people and that can be hard to watch.
The film is based on the memoirs of dodgy (convicted) stockbroker Jordan Belfort. To say he lived a life of debauchery on his rise to powerful multi-millionaire status would be an understatement and director Martin Scorsese really makes this spectacularly, graphically clear. There's a reason it's rated R here in Australia.
The cast is fantastic. Belfort is played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio, scoring a best actor Golden Globe for his trouble. Co-stars Jonah Hill (with distracting weird fake teeth), Matthew McConaughey, Joanna Lumley and others are all great also. One pleasant surprise for me was Australian Margot Robbie who plays Jordan's wife. Never heard a hint of the Australian accent (same cannot be said of most Aussies in Hollywood) and quite apart from that, it was a terrific performance and I expect we'll see more of her on the big screen soon.
When it comes down to it, I enjoyed watching this film. You might walk out with mixed feelings like I did but I doubt you'll walk out thinking it wasn't worth the $19 ticket price. If you hate anything about it, it will likely be the awfulness of Wall Street depicted, not the film itself. If you see it, I'd love to hear what you think.
This review in The Guardian gave it 3 stars and this one in the UK Telegraph gave it 5 stars. You be the judge!
Trailer here.
HER - film /
This film is hard to explain. The wikipedia entry for 'Her' opens: "Her is a 2013 American science fiction romantic comedy-drama". Confused? Hmmm. Indeed.
It stars Joanquin Phoenix in the lead as the guy at the centre of the romance. With a computer operating system. Yep, you read right.
At first I was loving the film. In a world of films that are all pretty same-same, this film is really different and just sings its difference from the rooftop. It's a story unlike any other, as the Wikipedia sentence makes clear. It asks a lot of questions, without actually asking them, about the nature of relationships, loneliness and more.
At just over two hours, it actually feels a lot longer which isn't a good sign considering it started so well. I enjoyed this but it did test my patience a bit the longer it went on. The friend who I saw it with hated it, thought it was just too silly to take. You do need to open-minded and just go with it if you're going to enjoy it.
It's nominated in the 'Best Picture' category at the Oscars this year and I'm glad it is. It's great to see something a bit unusual included. But would I recommend you rush out and see it? Well, frankly, it's not for everyone. Maybe one to save for DVD on a rainy night. Some will love, others will hate and with the cost of an outing to the movies what it is, it's probably a bit of a risk for the average punter. Especially when there's so many crowd-pleasers out at the moment.
If you want to read more about the storyline, background to the film, the cast etc, read the Wikipedia entry for yourself here...
Trailer here.
It stars Joanquin Phoenix in the lead as the guy at the centre of the romance. With a computer operating system. Yep, you read right.
At first I was loving the film. In a world of films that are all pretty same-same, this film is really different and just sings its difference from the rooftop. It's a story unlike any other, as the Wikipedia sentence makes clear. It asks a lot of questions, without actually asking them, about the nature of relationships, loneliness and more.
At just over two hours, it actually feels a lot longer which isn't a good sign considering it started so well. I enjoyed this but it did test my patience a bit the longer it went on. The friend who I saw it with hated it, thought it was just too silly to take. You do need to open-minded and just go with it if you're going to enjoy it.
It's nominated in the 'Best Picture' category at the Oscars this year and I'm glad it is. It's great to see something a bit unusual included. But would I recommend you rush out and see it? Well, frankly, it's not for everyone. Maybe one to save for DVD on a rainy night. Some will love, others will hate and with the cost of an outing to the movies what it is, it's probably a bit of a risk for the average punter. Especially when there's so many crowd-pleasers out at the moment.
If you want to read more about the storyline, background to the film, the cast etc, read the Wikipedia entry for yourself here...
Trailer here.
SAVING MR BANKS - film /
This is the story behind how the film 'Mary Poppins' made it from the pages of author P.L. Travers' book to the big screen.
Relevant background information: Mary Poppins was my favourite childhood film. I have seen it about 739 times and still love it to this day.
So I went into this a little apprehensive. I didn't want it to take any of the shine of my old fav! But it has had some great reviews so I thought I'd give it a go. Perhaps it would make me love Mary Poppins even more.
It did not.
It's an ok film. A fine film. A film that's easy enough to watch, sufficiently engaging with great performances from Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in the leads as Walt Disney and P.L. Travers respectively.
But I didn't love it and on reflection, I'd probably just sit down and watch Mary Poppins again instead.
3.5 star review from The Age here.
Trailer here.
Relevant background information: Mary Poppins was my favourite childhood film. I have seen it about 739 times and still love it to this day.
So I went into this a little apprehensive. I didn't want it to take any of the shine of my old fav! But it has had some great reviews so I thought I'd give it a go. Perhaps it would make me love Mary Poppins even more.
It did not.
It's an ok film. A fine film. A film that's easy enough to watch, sufficiently engaging with great performances from Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in the leads as Walt Disney and P.L. Travers respectively.
But I didn't love it and on reflection, I'd probably just sit down and watch Mary Poppins again instead.
3.5 star review from The Age here.
Trailer here.