When the Cheshire emerges...

No review for this week - we don't go in on Good Friday. I landed tomorrow off too, so a prized 3-day weekend has sweetly come my way!

Instead, I'll go through my (not-so-critical) thoughts on the films I saw at last weekend's Travelling Film Festival as it rolled through Dubbo.

OPENING FILM: The Angels' Share, directed by Ken Loach

I can't say I know Loach's work, but his material shows he's produced a mix of things. This comedy was great fun, concerning Robbie (third from left), who lands himself community service and befriends the pictured group. They become amateur experts in the world of whisky and concoct a plan to get some of the world's best.

It was really entertaining! Just to go in without knowing what to expect is refreshing, and I was engrossed with this. Grab it on DVD when you can - subtitles may just help (I've discovered thick Scottish accents are harder for me to grasp than the Irish).

***

Barbara, directed by Christian Petzold


Barbara (famed German actress Nina Hoss) moves from Berlin to the provinces for work as a doctor in post-war Germany. She's a loner, but that doesn't stop Andre (the most likeable, gorgeous character - just look at him!) from trying to win her heart. She's got other plans though as we discover it's East Germany where they reside and she's one of many wishing to escape west.

There's a lot of cultural subtext that slowly reveals itself, a bit frustratingly to those who wouldn't pick up on things. The decade isn't specified, and it's what seems to be a sheltered world. Scenes are disjointed but it held my interest. An abrupt ending didn't spoil things much. You can see this in at least Palace Cinemas now, it was only released last week.

***

Amour, directed by Michael Haneke


Oh how this film broke my heart...

Wow. Totally made an arse of myself with Amour, I look like a wreck. What a SAD story #film #blownaway #tff
— Katina V (@Katiinkaa) March 23, 2013

That kind of says it all. This tale about a couple who deal with the onset of dementia starts to hit you about halfway through. It really creeps along, almost to annoyance, but it's so achingly real. The performances are amazing - but it's something you really don't want to watch because they're such a cute pair and the unstoppable force that tears them apart is hard to bear.

Personal experience with dementia (my grandfather was bedridden for a good 10 years) makes these films even harder for me to sit through. Cue the waterworks. Palme d'Or, Golden Globe and Oscar foreign winner - need I say more? Go. Still in cinemas at anywhere but Dubbo.

***
When you argue for your limitations, all you get are your limitations.

What an amazing culinary invention. No doubt one of the biggest things I associate with childhood and my maternal grandmother to this day. However, within the family there was also the time when my aunty cooked 1200. That was fun to hear about...

The last couple of trips home have been monumental in relation to kourambiethes fixes. I think I got them on my trip home in September, as I had my car and the large container would've lasted. But then there was (definitely) Christmas time...

On deciding to only take a carry-on bag (no point in spending extra when it's not necessary), I visit yiayia and she gives me a large container once again. I'm laughing saying I can't take it all, and she's telling me to take it on the plane with my handbag. I really couldn't not take any, so with mum later I compromised. I had to.

I fit about 12 into a small round container. And I relished those to the very end.

***

The trip home two weeks ago rolls around. I fly in, go with mum to visit yiayia straight from the airport. She warns me that yiayia was a bit cut about the compromise we would have to make once again.

"Dodika (12)? What do you mean, how am I meant to make just 12?" she had said to mum (or words to that effect).

We get there. The round container emerges, packed to the brim - with 12 of them. Mum said yiayia packed them in as tight as she could. Yiayia hands them to me shaking her head slightly. A perplexed disappointment hung in the air.


I'm just about to finish the last of them. At least next time will be when mum comes up to visit - with a suitcase. I'm expecting big things.

***
Your joy is divine and so is your suffering. There's so much to be learned from both.

My beloved Adelaide Crows opened the AFL season on Friday night, and I wasn't home. I did tape it, and was annoyed to discover that we'd lost.

The more annoying thing I discovered though was two hours earlier as I was about to watch a film at the cinema. I should've checked my emails:

Those who seem to cause you the most anguish are those who remind you of what is either lacking or wanting in yourself.

Wow, I was slack with this. I've just had the most full-on few days. But here you go, a belated review of the latest in the Die Hard franchise.

A Good Day To Die Hard (M)

JOHN McClane, accidental action hero, has finally gone global. New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles don't cut it for the cop anymore. At an older age he's still hungry to catch the bad guys, and a grander scheme was inevitable in trying to fit him into the world of Generation Y for the second Die Hard film of the new millennium.

He's a tough old bastard, still immune to hearing loss from explosions and bone breakage. Now we see that his son is one and the same, in name and in figure. The expansion of the McClane backstory finally fits in the last piece of the puzzle as John (Bruce Willis) chases Jack (a brawny Jai Courtney) to Moscow.

Jack's relationship with his dad hasn't been good. Unlike what most people would think, discovering John's flown to Moscow to find him and get him out of prison isn't a comforting thought.
But he makes do of the situation and accepts his father's presence before revealing that he's followed a similar line of work to his old man - as a covert CIA agent.

The fifth film in this revered franchise plays out much the same as the fourth (Live Free or Die Hard), in that it pushes John McClane out of his comfort zone. John's the most traditional of protagonists, and placing him in a world of technology and international terrorism doesn't work a second time any more than it did the first.

The action, while big, is ramped up to such an extreme that it's unbelievable to see John and Jack walking around afterwards as they do. There's significantly less of the wit we expect from John, perhaps as a result of the sheer pain he must be in, and not much that comes with the story to allow feelings of sympathy.

McClane's exasperation in saying his most famous phrase is proof enough that it was time to hang up the boots some time ago. The plot adheres to that, involving a stoush between underworld figures Komarov (Sebastian Koch) and Chagarin (Sergey Kolesnikov) that comes to revolve around riches.
Nothing changes - as McClane says himself, it's always about the money.

John Moore and writer Skip Woods have no reservations in referencing earlier films, suggestively making a statement to suggest that characters can be successfully repeated in this age.

Instead, it's an affirmation to us that we've seen it before, and it doesn't need to be bettered because it was done when John McClane was in his ultimate realm. One before 9/11 that didn't overcompensate in action or gadgets.

Rating: 2.5/5

Today I had the day off, and I needed to get things done:

I hereby declare this day off as #getshitdoneday. It begins now, starting wiiith... cleaning the shower.
— Katina V (@Katiinkaa) March 26, 2013

While my list isn't ever really doable in just the one day (it's always ongoing), I made good headway with a couple of things I'd been meaning to do for a while.

Like cook. A reeeeally good, basic pasta.

Yeah, that's right. I hardly cooked last week because of a combination of returning to routine from holidays and being invited out to eat. Then this week so far hasn't been any better because of two ridiculously late nights, particularly last night which rather frustrated me:

Nearly two hours late out of work, forgot the mince there and have tomorrow off, take-away dinner's slowly coming. Why is it not tomorrow?
— Katina V (@Katiinkaa) March 25, 2013

That pretty much says it all. Including that Twitter can't get the time of any of my tweets right.

I'm soon to have a Get Shit Done Weekend if I so choose, with Good Friday actually being a public holiday for me(!) and then somehow landing the Sunday off. Three-day break! Do I stay home and do the nagging stuff or go somewhere? Decisions...

***

Things I learnt today:

1. I molt like crazy.
OK, so with long hair that's unavoidable. But I went over my quilt cover with the lint collector before washing it (best invention that), and the amount of hair and fluff was just incredible.

2. Flossing is boss.
I've been really good with my teeth lately, adding flossing twice a day to the regime - and again, I've always known the outcome, but as gross as this sounds there's nothing like seeing a particularly notable food particle come out onto the floss. Doing something right feels good.

3. I'm OK with job applications taking forever.
It's something I have to accept. And if they're jobs you really want to apply for it helps, and it's worth it. Yes, I applied for a few jobs today.

If you refuse to change your job (if you don't like it), the only sensible thing you can do is practice loving it every day.

***

Send out anger and impatience and that's what you'll get. Send out love, and you'll get back love. (That should really read "you'll get love back", but anyway)

***

You can set yourself up to be sick, or you can choose to be well.

***

The more you extend kindness to yourself, the more it will become your automatic response to others.

***

Your body is perfect. It knows how to do all the things that bodies are capable of doing. It knows how to walk, sweat, sleep, be hungry, cry... it's also a very good learner. You can teach it to swim, drive a car, write a letter, play a guitar, cut a diamond or climb a mountain.

***

Observe yourself and others in this nutty world, and then decide whether to carry around anger or to develop a sense of humour that will give you and others one of the most priceless gifts of all - laughter.

***

No one, regardless of how much he or she wishes it, can put understanding into another human being. Understanding can only come from doing.

What's with the quotes?

Well weren't we all in a spin about the political crisis today? Writing this as the subs still await the major wrap-up... as you'd expect, news doesn't stop for anyone, but as it develops we have to stop for IT. While I'm fine with that being within the nature of the job, tonight I miss out on an particular information night in Dubbo which is happening right now... so a little peeved this had to be today of all days.

I know Australian politics is in a bad way, but were we expecting this? So soon? And Simon Crean of all people to call it... wow. Big day for our country. But it sucks to be him now that the whole thing was a total fail. Talk about an anti-climax... his sacking's not really a surprise.

What concerns me about this is the obvious lack of trust within the Labor party. There's a lot wrong with how this came about and the fact that it's not the first time. Tony Abbott would be ecstatic with all of this - but having said that, it's still hard to look his way as inspiration.

So Julia Gillard went into a ballot unopposed, which is weird in itself. But the real winner of this is Kevin Rudd. His choice to uphold his word puts him in high esteem of the public along with his peers, and while it doesn't get him close to the leadership now it'll do well for him should he somehow be up there by the next election (Michael's suggestion at work that one was).

Internationally, Australian politics is rightly seen as being in a bit of a shambles. This BBC article is pretty good at explaining why.

What do you think about today's events?

Much like my Mission: Impossible feat, I've decided to watch through the Die Hard quadrilogy ahead of tomorrow's release of A Good Day to Die Hard.

However, I stupidly only decided on this last night. So by this morning I'd watched Die Hard and Die Harder, sacrificing going to the gym.

Now I have to watch both Die Hard With A Vengeance and Live Free Or Die Hard. So I can actually get some exercise done tomorrow morning before seeing A Good Day To Die Hard tomorrow night. Phew.

Damn - as I've written this, I've managed to just about burn my leg with part of my laptop. It's really painful. This all better be worth it.

Yippee-ki-yay motherf****r!

***
Inspirational affirmation is out of reach tonight. It will feature in the next post.

Lots going on in my head and in life as I once again settle into a regular routine. I have no planned trips for a good two months now (until my mother dearest visits), so with any luck I can finally make more time to get stuff down for the benefit of any readers I may have.

Tonight I am excitable:

1. FOOTY'S BACK FOR REAL

And it starts with the Crows! I thought it was next week, so bonus. Although I'll be taping it as I have a Rotaract event and then opening night of the Travelling Film Festival to attend... busy times.

2. THE MINDY PROJECT IS BACK TOO

What awesomeness. Just as I'd resigned myself to thinking Seven had screwed around with yet another program they decide to cut the How I Met Your Mother double to one episode to fit it in as of next week. While I love Mother, I'm really glad about this. I hope it was because people complained. If you're not on the Mindy train (I didn't even have to give it time) then shame, shame, shame.

3. AMAROO HOTEL FOOD PAST THEIR SCHNITTIES IS GOOD

I'm pretty sure I've not eaten there besides cheap schnitty Wednesday after the one time during my first few days in Dubbo. Tonight I had grilled barramundi half price and it was real good. However, the green beans are still questionable.

***
When you know that you're in charge of your intentions, then you'll come to know that you're in charge of your entire world.

Jealousy is really a demand that someone love you in a certain way, and you saying, "It isn't fair" when they don't. It comes from a lack of self-confidence.

No regular review for this week as I'm busy having a fabulous time at my friend Lauren's wedding to end to my week at home.

However, in light of next week's Travelling Film Festival I wrote a review on closing film Samsara, which I saw with my parents during my Christmas break.

Samsara (PG)

Your circumstances don't determine what life will be, they reveal what kinds of images you've chosen up till now.

There are limits to material growth, but there are no limits to inner enlightenment.

A special kind of freedom is available to you if you're willing to take the risks involved in getting it: the freedom to wander where you will about life's terrain, to make all your own choices.

Within you is the kingdom of serenity that can create all of the prosperity that you could ever want.

Just because a person is young or small does not make him or her incomplete. The truth is that we are complete at all moments of our lives.

Live... be you... enjoy... love.

To change yourself, look at what you fear and what you hate. Start there.

Oz the Great and Powerful (PG)

THE WIZARD of Oz, in print and on celluloid as well as the titular character himself, is for the most part an untouchable being. The story where the master plays second fiddle to one particular Dorothy has not been attempted again in an age of remakes and retellings. Instead, the wizard and other characters surrounding his kingdom have come into favour to keep the tale alive.

His choice to include a star from his work on Spider-Man as his protagonist is not surprising either; Raimi and James Franco work well as a team. On screen, Franco runs the show as Oz, a ruthless conman unable to move past performing a magician in a travelling circus with sidekick Frank (Zach Braff).

When Oz is asked to save the land and its people, he naturally freaks out; the moral story about finding the goodness in one’s heart and focusing on becoming a good person before greatness follows. It’s an obvious touch, but one integral to the characters many have grown to know and accessible to a wide audience.

Rating: 4/5

*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 2/3/2013.

MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS? See what I thought of Side Effects and The Deer Hunter.

When you know that you're in charge of your intentions, then you'll come to know that you're in charge of your entire world.

Jealousy is really a demand that someone love you in a certain way, and you saying, "It isn't fair" when they don't. It comes from a lack of self-confidence.

Turned the TV on and the NRL pops up. So the footy (as they know it in NSW) has started... but all that did was make me think of how I wish it was AFL. It's coming Katina. Soon...

Having said that, tonight marked Sonny Bill Williams' return to the NRL fold after his not-so-glorious exit in 2008 (wow, that's ages ago). I, as AFL-loving as I am, do know about this and remember how big it was at the time.

Seeing him on the field was intriguing, and to be honest a part of me is thinking about eventually learning to sit down and understand a bit of it. Maybe. Unfortunately for me now though, I have work to do so any Sonny Bil - oh I mean NRL - watching will have to wait.

***
The more you have a harmonious, loving, accepting approach, the more you'll see the rest of the pieces all fitting nicely together.

The Sydney Morning Herald's new Morning Express blog is fantastic.

I'd never have seen news like this otherwise.

The entry read:

It's been a sh... couple of weeks for Ikea, literally. After pulling their famous meatballs and sausages from store restaurants in 23 countries because of horse meat fears, they have now removed almond and butterscotch cake from Australian stores after faeces were detected in some batches overseas. Enjoy your breakfast, everybody.
Please read about the cake.

'Poo cakes'. Removed from IKEA. They're having a bad run aren't they? Poor things.

WOAH.

This week's just getting better and better...

On top of that the drycleaner got stains out of a dress I've worn only once, I had a really nice hot chocolate and got to see gorgeous local art at a pop-up exhibition, snuck in a beauty appointment (important before heading home this weekend) and then after getting to work was invited to the opening night of Dubbo's Travelling Film Festival.

Winning in life today.

***


So Bradford's Batman revealed himself to English media for real.

Mysterious crime-fighter is no longer a mystery.  Boooo.

It is not a joke. You hold the safety of your people in your hands... OK, or not. To be honest, any hero who is worried about people's thoughts on his paunch is a little piss-weak.

It was pretty funny to read though.

Speaking of other viral things, I have no idea what this 'Harlem shake' thing is about. Haven't seen the WA miners' video doing it yet, think I'm going to attempt to have a look at the actual song and then let you know what I think. Apparently it's #2 on the charts?

Gosh, I'm out of touch...

***
Create an inner harmony where your loving soul guides your physical behaviour, rather than having your soul always come in second place.

Big news day.

Today was a big day for Fairfax and Australian journalism. As a Fairfax employee, it was marked by an email sent to all of us...

So after more than 150 years of publication, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are tabloid! I held our office's SMH in my hand today and thought... woah, it's so SMALL!


But I'm for the change. As smart as broadsheets look, the SMH layout looks pretty much the same. It was more the changes to their website I was getting my head around for half the morning as I read through the major stories.

Check out this mUmBrella article which shows an intentional incorrect ad from Commonwealth Bank among discussion of the change. Smart.

***

Adelaide was voted the country's most liveable city for the third year running according to a property report with resident responses.




Read comments on SMH and AdelaideNow and wasn't surprised by the differences in comments/angles. Sydney is upset that Melbourne ranked better than them, and everyone's upset because there's still the mentality Adelaide's a backwater.

Melbourne IS more accessible than Sydney, and while Adelaide doesn't exactly have as many job prospects or more efficient transport, it's definitely more liveable in terms of getting around and culture (OK so Melbourne's awesome at culture too, but still, Mad March IS amazing...).

Do you think Adelaide's most liveable within Australia?

***
It isn't the world that makes you unhappy, or the way people are in the world. It's how you process the people and events of the world.

Instead of judging others as people who ought to behave in certain ways, see them as reflecting a part of you, and ask yourself what it is you're ready to learn from them.

Wow, I've had dramas trying to put this up, but I got there.

Side Effects (MA 15+)

IF anyone knows about telling a story where someone gets their just desserts, Steven Soderbergh would be that person.

More than a decade ago he did that with the true story of Erin Brockovich. But while she was quite the working class character, Soderbergh throughout his work has realised the need to fight comes in all walks of life. In a difficult age where people strive to be their best, it can be harder for some than others.

It's a sad time for Emily (Rooney Mara) when it should be the happiest. Her husband Martin (Channing Tatum, in a serious turn) has just been released from prison after four years and he finds their integration into society as a couple again easier than she does.

Their life before his arrest was one of spoils; Emily's situation gave her everything to lose. As a previous depression sufferer, in rebuilding their life Emily attempts suicide and is referred to psychiatrist Dr John Banks (Jude Law).

Their relationship is one of trust, and leads to the prescription of strong medication just released on the market with Emily's consent and the advice of her previous psychiatrist Dr Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Emily experiences some of the major side effects but believes the drug is working.

We rely on medicine to believe everything is going to get better, but Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z Burns focus on the repercussions. And Dr Banks finds himself at the centre of a scandal no one saw coming.

Scott Z Burns has worked with Soderbergh twice in a writer-director relationship, while Tatum and Soderbergh have teamed up on three films in as many years after 2011's Haywire and last year's Magic Mike.

Soderbergh's familiarity with much of his cast and crew serves him well in this dark turn, but new face Mara in the mix adds a vulnerability to the story. Her looks of confusion often centre the film as she struggles in a drug-filled haze.

There is general uncertainty among the characters as truths come to reveal themselves in both the story and the personalities within them; questioning how far people are willing to go to protect themselves and avoid the repercussions of what may be playing out.
What most know as inevitable though is that someone has to be punished. There always has to be someone to blame, for finality - but when circumstances are cloudy it becomes harder to clarify.

A person getting what they deserve comes from the fight for it, or for making a bad judgement. Soderbergh displays that well in a thriller where there are questions to be asked and explored, but no definitive answers.

Rating: 4/5

OK.

He stopped soon after I blogged, I watched TV in peace.

Now it's 12.31am, I want to go to bed, and he's started again.

I don't care if it's a Friday night, not everyone's ready to rage.

Douche.

The first step to healing anything in your life is to understand that whatever disease process is going on within you is something you carry around. You own it all. It's all yours.

You're the creator of your thoughts, which means that in some metaphysical way, you're the creator of your life.