TV, movies, music, that kind of thing
Recently I’ve been reading some of Jeff “Yak” Minter’s nostalgic look back at how he got into writing computer games in the 1980s, and it’s got me thinking about those days, and how it’s shaped my life — or at least, my professional working life. It’s something I have written about briefly before, but I ... [More]
Where did these bloody Aga stove things come from? I assume they’re a peculiarly British brand of wanky gourmet stove, because I’ve never seen or heard of them in Australia. Yet they’ve shown up in the last two novels I’ve read, plus had the piss taken out of them in Posh Nosh. I’m afraid I’m ... [More]
Bloody, Movie, Buffy, Drivey, Greenie, Footy.
My delayed Valentine’s Day present arrived last night, in the form of tickets to the Paul Kelly concert at the newly re-named Hamer Hall (aka the Concert Hall at the Victorian Arts Centre). A more mixed crowd than your average standing-up gig. A worrying number of oldies. I suppose what you lose on the enthusiasm ... [More]
The Cat In The Hat. Not many kids’ movies on at the moment, and Jeremy chose this one to while away some time on ANZAC Day afternoon. A couple of semi-amusing moments that just — just raised a smile, but otherwise it was proof that Hollywood has an uncanny ability to take a classic book ... [More]
Tickets for The Who went on sale last Sunday. At $99 to $199. Yikes. I considered booking, depending on whether or not good but cheap seats could be had. But then I found the damn Ticketek web site demanding some long-forgotten username and password (with no hints on the e-mail they had sent me), so ... [More]
I don’t think I’ve ever shouted at the television in frustration before. Certainly not when I was on my own, nobody else to hear it. I don’t consider myself an angry person by any means, and it took several steps to get there before it all boiled over. Step 1 was doing ironing and wanting ... [More]
I may never get to see Mulholland Drive. Week after week we go to Video Shop A and look for it. Sure, the case is on the shelf, but it has that little annoying “Sorry, I’m out!” tag in it. It’s been that way for months. Maybe it’s missing in action. Last night on a ... [More]
Back in my childhood years, there was only one band I really loved: The Beatles. Somehow I found them fascinating through the 70s and 80s, to the point where my mother got sick of hearing my almost-worn-out Sgt Pepper cassette. Then in my late teens, a friend brought over a music video to try and ... [More]
The Age’s freebie Tropfest DVD arrived during the week, and we watched it on Friday night. 16 short films, the finalists. All good, some excellent, one (“For Every Year”) heartwrenching, most funny, some (“The Money”, “Sold Out”, “Confessions of an Animation”) hilarious.
Part I. Many years ago I had a Ren And Stimpy CD. It’s the kind of CD you buy because for a couple of weeks in 1993 you were kinda amused by the TV series. So you coughed up $25 and listen to it maybe once all the way through, and maybe another track or ... [More]
Michael Grade has been appointed chairman of the BBC. Doctor Who fans must be wondering if Grade — the only enemy of the Doctor that managed to kill him completely by getting the series cancelled — will be up to his old tricks. Perhaps he’ll squeeze the production budget so tightly that they can’t even ... [More]