When the Cheshire emerges...

Did anyone catch The Mindy Project after HIMYM on Monday night? I found it taped by accident and ended up watching it after looking up that it was the first episode. Pretty funny actually, even for another doctor show (seriously USA, there's enough of them now). See how we go with next week's episode...

Now doesn't this look interesting? Another reworking of Sherlock Holmes, yes, but I'm kind of intrigued. Jonny Lee Miller already to me is an awesome choice as the great detective - how has he NOT done it before now? I'm cautious to see how this goes with the major differences (Watson as a woman and the New York setting); I've never really gotten stuck into a Sherlock TV series so I might give this a go.

***


On a different note, I've never watched My Kitchen Rules for more than 20 seconds before Tuesday night, but I found myself eating dinner in front of the TV as Tassie dad-son duo Mick and Matt did their best to impress their fellow contestants with their seafood expertise. I can see how it's addictive! Can't say I'll be watching it every night, but it's high pressure watching for sure.

I'm trying to avoid getting into too much new stuff again this year. I found 2012 was pretty hectic just as it was and I'm trying to do different things in my spare time. Will still be keeping up with Downton Abbey among other shows from last year though - I've found myself singing and bopping to my rendition of She Wolf for weeks not being able to get the montage from the ad out of my head! So excited it's "after the tennis" now (in one way anyway).

I'd still like to know what shows you'll be getting into in 2013...

***
Creativity means believing that you have greatness.
Why?

Not many cities have a similar effect on such a diverse range of people, but Melbourne is one of them. I found proof while I was there two weeks ago, as I spoke to four of my friends/family who have moved to Melbourne for a particular purpose.

All four are female, and each had experienced different things as they settled into living there. There had been ups and downs but ultimately Melbourne had improved their wellbeing and lifestyle.

I call it the Melbourne effect.

I can't speak on what Melbourne is like for males, but I've heard on good account that it's just as amazing for them. What I realised talking to these lovely ladies though was how BUSY they were. Melbourne is a city of things happening all the time. And they were thriving on it. And they were happy.

I like to keep myself busy a lot, and I'm generally a sociable person. I was listening to their stories, of work, study and play and getting excited. Because now I've moved out of home and am comfortable with that, everywhere's a potential residence.

Melbourne's always been one of my favourite cities, having gone there the most outside of Adelaide growing up. Now as an adult, I would be the perfect Melburnian. The Melbourne effect would have innumerable advantages with me as a candidate because I take what I can out of anywhere I go. I'd go to the footy more, the Melbourne International Film Festival (oh yes), all of ACMI's exhibitions - it's endless! Then there's the clothing scene... oh, and going out *sigh*.

Do you get what I mean? I feel the effect rubbed off on me a bit actually. I catch trams around Melbourne and it feels normal. I hardly felt like a tourist.

I just have to find the right job to get there.

***
You have a very powerful mind that can make anything happen so long as you keep yourself centred.
Why?

I'm rather proud I managed to achieve this, but it was a slightly slow news week and I thought I'd write a piece on the Australian Open for publication. It was put in Saturday's paper, take a look if you like: http://bit.ly/114QEkf.

Because I still can't post more pics on here, I'm going to give you a link to my Facebook photos to have a look, so as well as the tennis you can see some of the amazing food I had and all the souvenir stuff I came home with (good thing I had only packed 14 kilos): http://on.fb.me/T37AZx.

I want to add that after I wrote my article, annoyed at the lack of Australian prosperity at the tournament, we had two title wins. I was extremely happy for Jarmila Gajdosova and Matt Ebden in the mixed doubles, while Nick Kyrgios beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in an all-Aussie boys final. Champions! I actually have a distant connection to Adelaide's Kokkinakis (never met him though), so was upset not to see him win - but Kyrgios was apparently unbeatable throughout the week. Greek power!

After I wrote an entry on the tennis prior to going, for a little while I wasn't sure if I had booked too much and would be over it by the time Friday came along.

How wrong I was.

I had the perfect mix of a week, tennis interspersed with more sightseeing (I never seem to be done with that in Melbourne still), friend catch-ups and shopping. The cousin I was staying with was surprised at how I could be out all day (easy, it's Melbourne)... it did catch up with me though. I was sick getting back to Dubbo.

I got one half of the draw right, seeing Andy Murray and Roger Federer in action twice as well as Janko Tipsarevic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jarkko Nieminen and Tommy Haas, one of the sporting crushes of my youth. Wow.

Of the top females I saw Victoria Azarenka twice (whose noises - can you call it a grunt? - I could deal with), Marion Bartoli, Petra Kvitova, Laura Robson, Serena Williams and a doubles game with her and Venus.

No, I didn't see Novak Djokovic. And I watched Federer play Bernard Tomic in Garden Square on Super Saturday night after paying for an elusive Rod Laver day pass I found while searching on my phone knowing everything was sold out. Oh yeah, did you know the middle Saturday's called that? Just because it's always a sell-out with people buying all the day passes. Even the cheap ones. And true to the tales, there was a four-hour wait to get into the Heineken Bar area. Didn't go near it.

The Australian Open has always been an important part of my summer, looking forward to hard-fought battles, expertise from Bruce McAvaney and Jim Courier (and even Lleyton Hewitt, he knows his shit), and of course, seeing the best of the best. At tennis as well as athleticism and physicality. And after the first few minutes of being there amongst it all, I was already addicted.

***
If enough of us shied away from conflict and confrontation, just imagine how much war we could eliminate.
Why?

Playing catch-up tonight because I've been slowly getting back into routine properly. Still finding it hard with the heat (just feel like doing nothing, it's ridiculous), but I am committed to seeing my affirmations, and blogs in general, through.

From last Sunday, this is what I've been reading and reaffirming.

If you choose not to respect your sense of justice, you choose not to respect yourself, and you will soon end up wondering how much your life is really worth.

If you want to be confident but don't normally act that way, then today, just this once, act in the physical world the way you believe a confident person would.

Anything that keeps you from growing is never worth defending.

Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what a reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.

There are two ways to look at virtually anything. One is the violent way, and one is the peaceful way. It's the yin and yang of the universe.

Your opinions are trivial, but your commitments to them make all the difference in the world.

When you live on a round planet, there's no choosing sides.

The total being called human being cannot function harmoniously when its components are in conflict.

My belief about compassion is summed up by the old saying, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.".

Tuesday's was my favourite for the week. Sometimes I'm reluctant to move on from things for fear of change or just general uncertainty and I procrastinate from kicking into gear.

I thought Saturday's was a bit cheeky. I like it. Here's to another week as we leave January and really get 2013 into gear!

***
Why?

Men's final. Felt nauseous for some of it because of Andy Murray's growing pain becoming quite visible. Didn't have the extreme intensity of last year (but that's huge to ever live up to). Was actually going for Murray so my favourtism wasn't in my favour.

When I explain more about my first live Australian Open experience (which I've been slack in doing, I apologise), you'll know I saw Murray twice. I didn't see Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, so it would've been nice to have seen the player who made their way to championship victory. But it wasn't to be.

The opening set was promising. So too was set two really - but then was where we saw Murray started to show a slight physical letdown. We did get a long game, and it was by no means one-sided. Just upsetting to watch knowing, as Jim Courier put it, that Murray's body was betraying him.


Djokovic had a great run though. He was well tested by Wawrinka, but his game is just unbeatable at this point, so I guess well-deserved.

***

Women's final. Victoria Azarenka was really the most hated woman for a bit there wasn't she? At least with her I can say I saw her on the way to victory.

Just want to say that game was probably the most interesting I've ever seen, with the Li Na ankle dramas and that. She held up pretty well, but not enough.

Meanwhile...


Who saw the post-championship interview where Redfoo joined Azarenka in the 7 studio? Awkward much? They are SUCH an odd pairing. What's more odd is that his dad apparently founded Motown Records. And he's half of LMFAO. Go figure.

***

That's all for now. I can't believe it's over again for another year. Look forward to divulging a bit to you in the coming days though!

I might post a wrap of the final afterwards, but I'll be tweeting throughout so follow me @Katiinkaa to see my thoughts on the game if you're online.

Happy Australia Day!

This week's movie has a slight Australian connection with a cameo by our country's most memorable villain John Jarratt... that's all I got. Oh, and got distracted by the Australian Open women's final so that's why it's late. What a game that turned out to be.

And PS: I couldn't get over how much I loved the coat Christoph Waltz is wearing in the pic. Spent a decent part of the movie with it on my mind - I want a cool coat like that! It's amazing!

QUENTIN Tarantino can’t help but get his hands dirty, and throughout his career the thought that a little blood can’t hurt anyone has largely worked in his favour. As the years go on his filmmaking has outlandishly caught critics and fans off guard but managed to remain somewhat mindful. Tarantino’s not one to lay it all out for his audience, as keeping viewers guessing is, for most directors, their ultimate goal.

Christoph Waltz is excellent as the schmoozer from afar, Tarantino getting the best out of him once again after his Oscar-winning turn in Inglourious Basterds. Schultz oozes confidence when getting out of sticky situations, an impressive free man in a world of slaves, and Waltz is effortless in his portrayal as a friend and mentor. It should come as no surprise that Tarantino is so accommodating of the man.

Not so accommodating for some will be the language. Tarantino refused to let down on his use of the n-word and true to the violent nature of the film, it sticks around unrelentingly. But in a setting two years before the Civil War, you can’t question its accuracy.

Tarantino succeeds stylistically as with his previous films, with flashbacks representing the low-budget quality of the films of his inspiration and engrossing montages to a varied soundtrack.
The ending is the letdown if any, which seems to peter out into something Australians in particular will render bizarre. With Tarantino though, it would be a crime to not expect the unexpected.

Rating: 4/5

*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 26/1/2013

***

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

THE WAR nobody won is still a touchy subject in the scheme of global issues, devastating a world superpower as well as millions of innocent Vietnamese. It’s perhaps been the conflict most documented in terms of the relief brought to troops at the time, with The Sapphires most recently.
 

Most memorable to international audiences would undoubtedly be this film, where Robin Williams was pushed past his role on TV’s Mork and Mindy to an Oscar nomination and audiences received a heartfelt story about the pressures of wartime Saigon.
 

Loosely based on radio DJ Adrian Cronauer’s real story, Williams plays the man sent to Saigon to relieve the soldiers of their woes through a segment on Armed Forces radio. On discovering the extreme control over what’s broadcast, Cronauer begins to make his own rules and creates a noticeable difference to the soldiers’ morale.
 

Barry Levinson’s look at the Vietnam War is a juxtaposition of poignancy and comedy, Williams’ improvised on-air rambles next to his affection for Trinh (Chintara Sukapatana) and friendship with her brother Tuan (Tung Thanh Tran). The story of the man who too often crosses the line of authority is immersive for likeable characters and flowing imagery.

 

*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) on Wednesday 23/1/2013.

MISSED LAST WEEK'S CLASSIC REVIEW? See what I thought of Raising Arizona.

No normal review for you this week, just a classic one. If you like the Coen brothers' work though you're in for a treat.

Raising Arizona (1987)

FANS of the kooky antics as written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen will know there’s a real subtlety to the craziness of their stories. For them it seems second nature to come up with ideas that stretch our imaginations of the human condition. To audiences it translates into a rarity of comedy, in the way of presenting characters that are so wrong but also so right.

HI (Nicolas Cage) is often in trouble with the law, and questions himself as to what the drawing card is for doing bad things. One is undoubtedly Ed (Holly Hunter), the officer who takes his mug shot. They fall in love, marry and then find they can’t conceive. Enter a crazy plot to steal a quintuplet from a rich family in town and you have the Coen effect.

As HI’s friends Gale (John Goodman) and Evelle (William Forsythe) come to them for aid after breaking out of prison, HI and Ed are at a crossroads. Ed wears the pants of the house, but HI’s gentle nature softens her resolve. While they try to hide the identity of the baby from the suspicious visitors, tracker Leonard Smalls (Randall Cobb) is on the case.

The brothers’ second film has less of the downright strange seen in later films like Fargo, instead persistent in trying to make you relate to a couple in a poor situation. The word crazy still applies, with plenty of deadpan comedy, but the little man at the centre gives this film heart.

*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) on Wednesday 16/1/2013.

MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS? See what I thought of Hitchcock and Diner.

My Friday and Saturday affirmations:

Friday:
Your body is the garage where you park your soul.

Saturday:
Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored... boredom is a choice.

I love this saying! I know I don't choose to be bored with what I do in my spare time. And how appropriate that I should acknowlege this on a weekend.

***
Why?

The last few day's affirmations:

Tuesday:
Why not think about some things you've never done before and do them simply because you've never done them and for no other reason?

Well how fitting was this? Thought about it as I walked into Rod Laver Arena for my first Australian Open experience... I've been here because I haven't at this exact time of year before.

Wednesday:
A sense of purpose isn't something that you find; it's something that you are. Truth isn't something that you look for; it's something that you give.

Thursday:
Nothing out there is bad unless you believe that it is.

Pretty simple aren't they?

***
What are these?

Saturday's affirmation was a pretty noticeable one:

Your suffering comes from needing things to be different. When you stop that, your suffering stops. You can want things, but it is the needing that must go.

I'm still feeling pretty good about things two weeks into the year. Perhaps that's because I'm on a tennis-filled adventure right now but all is well.

This does speak to me though.

There are times in my life where I don't feel... satisfied. Saying that makes me think of Allison in the d&m scene in The Breakfast Club but it's true. There have been days I feel I'm not doing enough with myself, which is really stupid, but I guess that's an uncertainty I have to get under control.

Moral: I don't need things to be different. I have a good life.

***

Life is an attitude. It's what you choose to believe, always.

***

Today's was more of a story than an affirmation:

When my daughter Tracy came home in the second grade and said, "Billy doesn't like me, Billy doesn't like me." I responded, "Do you like you?" Tracy said, "Yes." Then I replied, "Well, that's all you've got."

You see, even at seven years of age, a person shouldn't get the idea that anyone elses's reactions to you need to get you down in anyway.

***
What are these?

Hitchcock (M)

AS anyone in the film industry could tell you, when films are made about someone’s personal story on any level is when they are truly revered by peers and fans alike. That, or there’s some morbid curiosity the public has with them. For Englishman Alfred Hitchcock it’s a mix of both, as the man known for his difficult nature and unrelenting persistence remains the master of suspense to this very day.

Psycho was the risk of Hitchcock’s career. His desire to adapt a book so violent horrified Paramount Pictures, but his standing in the industry made for worthy persuasion. What became most important to him during the process is rightfully highlighted as the most intriguing element and would arguably become cinema’s greatest scene.


John J McLaughlin’s screenplay, based on Stephen Rebello book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of 'Psycho', plays out like a Hitchcock film by pushing the boundaries. Gervasi goes with an unconventional use of breaking the fourth wall at the film’s bookends to not question the gravitas of the legend and the man, but to acknowledge he was in fact achingly real.
Director Sacha Gervasi’s first feature film comes four years after brilliant 2008 music documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil. He films Hopkins and Mirren with ease although the two are strained in their relationship as hidden secrets are kept from one another.

Hitchcock was a man not only driven by work, but also by love and rediscovering what that meant during Psycho. The morbid fascination Hollywood still has with this man continues with good reason – in life and death he kept us guessing.


Diner (1982)

PROGRESSION from young adulthood to the kind with real responsibility (you know, marriage and babies) is a fact of life, but not all see it that way. Many choose to stay in their own worlds, staunchly of the opinion married life means all hope is gone for a youthful existence.

That idea scares the hell out of six guys in 1959 that reunite in Baltimore for a New Year’s Eve wedding. Eddie (Steve Guttenberg) is unsure of his coming nuptials, but can’t really seek advice from Shrevie (Daniel Stern) - the only one married so far. Shrevie has his own problems with wife Beth (Ellen Barkin), something to come to the attention of gambler student Boogie (Mickey Rourke). Then there’s funnyman Modell (Paul Reiser), likely alcoholic Fenwick (Kevin Bacon) and confused Billy (Timothy Daly).

As the film that launched many of the cast’s careers, its wisecracks are the backbone of the film. They play out through a series of vignettes, disjointed so as to chronicle only the important elements of the week they spend together. The diner at the centre is critical to their wellbeing where they can speak freely and attempt to stay within their bubble.

Eddie’s fiancé is a notable absentee from the story, but for Barry Levinson it works to leave the focus solely on the guys. That makes for some immaturity from them as they get up to laughable antics, but also for memorable comedy in this nostalgic look at the turn of a decade.

*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) on Wednesday 9/1/2013.

MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Jack Reacher.

Three discussions up tonight...

#1: OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Big day today, with Oscar noms first announced during my slumber. Going through the nominations I was a bit nonplussed about a few of the Best Picture finalists because they haven't come out in Australia yet (so I can only go on the hype).

Really interested to see Silver Linings Playbook now because of all the nods - go Jacki Weaver! She's hardly shown in the trailer and not even named as a major credit but she got nominated for Best Supporting Actress again. Woo!

I do agree with critics that are saying Skyfall missed out though. It got a few nominations but not in the 'bigger' categories where it would've been just as much deserving. I also

I don't like to pick what I think might win because I don't know enough about all the contenders. There doesn't seem to be an overwhelming standout for Best Picture but I'd love to see Argo win. Actor and actress I won't say - I haven't seen any of the Best Actress performances. How sad is that? I feel a bit pathetic.

Take a look and have a think. Let me know your Oscar picks!


#2: AUSTRALIAN OPEN DRAW

Now to tennis and the draw for the Australian Open has come out... I'm excited about the Open any given year, but this year for extra special reason.

I'm going!

So I'm anxious to figure out who I can see but I have an idea.

I'm going on day 2, night 4 and day 5 right?


Because day 5's only a ground pass, I'm focusing on days 2 and 4 where I've got Rod Laver Arena access. The second half of the draw features Juan Martin Del Potro, what could be a cracker between Gail Monfils and Alexandr Dolgopolov if I see it on day 2, Tommy Haas, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and of the Aussies Bernard Tomic and Luke Saville.

And that's just the guys. The second part of the draw includes Sam Stosur, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova (will bring the earplugs for that one), Venus Williams and Aussies Casey Dellacqua and newcomer Ashleigh Barty.

Not bad at all. Hopeful for Tomic to do well now he's made it to the Sydney International final, and just to see some great games. Shame Hewitt got 8th seed Janko Tipsarevic straight up, I think he's going to have a really tough task.

Tennis fans! Have a look at the full draws and share what you think!


#3: EXPEDIA BLOGGER SEARCH

Winners were announced today. I wasn't one, but I'm fair sure I was a finalist in the Lifestyle category. So I'm pretty happy with that result. Thanks for the votes guys!

***
Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who's not obsessed with being right?Why?

While I'm primarily a sub-editor these days, overall I'm just beginning my career as a journalist right? I know sometimes I thought part of it would be glamorous before I started, and was inspired by seeing cool journalists portrayed on film and in books.

But even before finishing my studies I learned that it's not glamorous. I've found that writing is great and stories make me feel like I've accomplished something, but there's the romantic element intertwined with female journalists that doesn't transcend to real life. Why can't we see someone like a female Tin Tin?

This week, I've watched a couple of films with female journalists that show we work really hard to gain equality in the office and how we sometimes feel totally insecure about ourselves.

Case study #1: Never Been Kissed


Josie (Drew Barrymore) grew up a complete nerd and was treated terribly through high school, but when her job as a copy editor and her chief of staff's is on the line, she agrees to go undercover and return to the stomping ground that made her life's worst memories.

The pressure put on all journalists is extraordinary sometimes, and here she's forced to become a different person. Josie's not an actress, but with luck on her side it works. However, even with becoming popular she still faces the problem of finding the story that will save her job.

She's 25. That's going to be me in two years time. In the industry that seems like a pretty big task for someone a few years or so out of university, and in the film an absolutely crazy first assignment as a reporter... but could I be up to that challenge?


Case study 2: Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason


Another case of insecurity comes from the lovable Bridget, who gets off to a (pardon the pun) flying start when forced to skydive for a story. She's doing her best to be taken seriously in the TV industry, an area primarily reserved for those on the slimmer side.

While the focus on both films are on her quest to find love, she still just wants to be respected for her work and is fed up with doing the filler stories. At the same time, she continuously holds her head high with integrity.


Watching these characters, I think they're amazing. Not just because they're the backbone of great films, but they're females out there doing what they love - in one way or another. They're headstrong and willing to challenge themselves, but also unsure of their overall abilities and a little hopeless when it comes to love. A bit like me.

I do question myself on whether I will get to the point where I'm looked to to come up with something inspiring. Don't worry, I know films are intentionally unrealistic, but they make me think of what could be. Hopefully a career ahead in an area I'm good at and know I want to focus on long-term.


At the end of the day, at least I know I can skydive.

***
Meditation gives you an opportunity to come to know your invisible self. It will shatter the illusion of your separateness.
What's this here for?

First world problem: I don't know whether to watch:

Solution: tape both I guess, and still watch one. But which one? Argh! OK, I'm just going to turn the TV on now and let myself go on instinct.

UPDATE 8.40pm: OK, so Channel 10 sucks. The service on my recorder's scrambled, while watching it through the TV's perfect. So watching Never Been Kissed :D

***
The only antidote to anger is to eliminate the internal sentences, "If only you were more like I am," and "If only the world were not the way it is."
Why?

You can't go around being what everyone expects you to be, living your life through other people's rules, and be happy and have inner peace.

***
Why?

I was looking through my recent entries and noticed I'd missed a classic review! This was published a week or two before Christmas I'm fairly sure. PS: I think Montgomery Clift is amazing.

*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) in December 2012.

***
You can never get enough of what you don't want.
Why the affirmation?

As there weren't any new releases in the week before Christmas, I rented a new release DVD for the weekend review on a film I'd missed out on during the year. So here's a belated post of the review.

MARITAL problems can spread far and wide in households that are brought up on traditional values and morals, those without (or with) steady incomes and those where the children have grown up and moved out. The idea of a picture perfect marriage is simply a myth in which those even in the lowest point of their relationships hold onto for the hope of happier being.


Kay finds it difficult to think outside a generic frame of mind when it comes to the bedroom, while Arnold is just unsure about the need to be paying so much money to talk to someone. There are constant questions of why, as there should be with a scenario involving a therapist, but some of those refuse to be answered.

Rating: 3/5

*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 22/12/2012

***
Today's affirmation: I don't have to be directed by anything outside myself. God is within me, and the infinite and divine power that gives me sustenance as a human being is always there.
Why?

Happy Saturday everyone! First review for 2013 - may this year bring us a slew of good films!

Jack Reacher (M)

DISCUSSIONS surrounding Tom Cruise’s appointment in the latest Hollywood franchise hope got fans of Lee Child’s novels riled up, much like those who nitpicked at details in the Harry Potter or Twilight films. Such is the devotion of these fans that boycotts were publicly voiced in the United States, for the most part based on his inclusion.

It’s not the couch jumping or general demeanour that’s to blame, but his stature. For those wanting to imagine the Jack Reacher as portrayed in the books (at six feet, five inches and 10 or so years younger), it’s not going to happen. Which is a pity because Cruise, while short and too serious for some, holds his ground as a man desperate for nothing and wanting for justice.

He comes to the aid of Pittsburgh lawyer Helen (Rosamund Pike) when James Barr (Joseph Sikora) is taken into custody for the murder of five random civilians. But Reacher is a man unsatisfied with what is presented to him by district attorney Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and detective Emerson (David Oyelowo).

Reacher isn’t a hero by any means. He calls himself a drifter with nothing to lose; a wanderer doing only what’s right, a living ghost. It’s a frustration for those around him but intriguing for us watching as he takes matters into his own hands and refuses to play to textbook scenes.
There is plenty formulaic about the film though; the story, based on Child novel One Shot and adapted by director Christopher McQuarrie, runs very much as a whodunit. Twists and turns unveil more to the story, plots coming together to form the one result.

The criminal feel works for McQuarrie but also leaves for wanting as we watch a character we don’t get to know - his ghostly nature leaves no entrance to his motivation or reasonings. Perhaps that’s to come should we receive more of his stories on the big screen, something Cruise no doubt wants having future rights to Reacher films.

Cruise injects his self-assurance into the former army cop, with a hint of swagger as he does his best not to ruin his good leather jacket. Pike too is a strong-willed Helen, although the lawyer is not susceptible to Reacher’s rugged charm. There’s a hint of Bond in there, but for his type of girls or flirtatious banter look elsewhere.

German director Werner Herzog and Australian Jai Courtney are an interesting duo to bring a touch of frost to Reacher’s investigations, a pair young and old surviving their way through the world with dishonesty and callousness.

The reason behind their wrongdoings is merely skirted in an effort to make the story light. Many action-based films have stories laden with complex plots and dangerous encounters, but Child’s material focuses heavily on the man at the centre of the show.

It seems funny that we don’t know much about Reacher even with that focus. So from not much heavy subtext comes a film that holds the hope of a new franchise and new legions of fans. Its strength lies in Reacher’s basic ability to hold a situation for as long as it suits him. And many of us wish it would come that easy.

Rating: 3.5/5

*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 5/1/2013

***

I forgot to put this up before Christmas - if you can get a copy watch it next year! A bit more obscure to Australians this one, it's not really ever shown on our TV screens to my knowledge.
A Christmas Story (1983)

A FILM harking back to the 1940s, this Christmas tale is best for those who want of a different offering. The adaptation of multiple stories from Jean Shepherd’s book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash is a peculiar one, but as crazy as you would expect any other Christmas story to be.

Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is a nine-year-old kid who desperately wants a gun for Christmas. The "Red Ryder BB carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time" to be exact. He knows that his parents would disapprove but with subtle hints goes about planting the idea in their heads anyway.

The film has much of the same elements as other Christmas fare - the villains here are in the shape of two bullies, Ralphie has a sibling that isn’t on the same page and those in a place of authority who just don’t see things the way he does. The difference comes in the nature of the storytelling.

A constant narration from Ralphie’s older self preludes that from TV show The Wonder Years, with an almost reflective feel to the film’s events. Random sequences viewed through the eyes of a nine-year-old as well as those watching on the screen do prove humorous for their old-fashioned nature, but perhaps not in the way you expect. Now considered a Christmas classic by many in the US, it’s one of the more oddball films of this kind to be treasured.

*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) on Wednesday 19/12/2012

MISSED THE LAST REVIEWS? See what I thought of Rise of the Guardians 2D and The Nutty Professor.

Today was about trying to be merely in the world; I remembered how to breathe.

Practice being in the world but not of the world - learn to ignore how things outside of you are going, and know that higher awareness is truly a disappearing act.

This is actually not something I totally agree with - I love the idea of being a person of the world; the industry I've chosen to place myself in would suggest that.

Since going to work adhering to this wasn't really possible, and even on getting home I was curious to find out just how hot Adelaide got (45 degrees - unbelievable, but Hobart's 42 was preposterous). For the record Dubbo only hit 38.

But living in Dubbo has shown me I am merely capable of just being in the world - not watching the news for a day or knowing what's happening is somewhat easy. I can disappear.

***

To not overload my Saturday review posts, I will try to post that day's affirmations either on Fridays or Sundays.

Tomorrow I will acknowledge and practice the following:

Send out love and harmony, put your mind and body in a peaceful place, and then allow the universe to work in the perfect way that it knows how.

Sounds like a beautiful way to appreciate a summer Saturday.

***
Why the affirmation?

The secret of abundance is to stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.

Trust the first picture under 'flower' on Google Images to be from Adelaide's Botanic Gardens...

What a beautiful sentence.

Today I am truly appreciating all things in my life. Being in great spirits helps, but I always know there are people that care for me and that I am a very lucky person. Sometimes it also takes something material to make you realise it, but it's there and you use it. For me part of my wellbeing today centred on receiving Australian Open tickets - I'm so excited!

Going back to work today was thankfully pretty relaxed, although not without a couple of small curveballs, and I have one more day before an excitingly packed Saturday (Les Miserables in fabulous air-conditioning, then a swim). For now, I'm off to see Jack Reacher; the review will come on Saturday of course!

***
Why the affirmation?

I was at Sydney Airport for four-and-a-half hours today in coming back to Dubbo after a (my first) Christmas break at home, so while I usually have time to relax on New Year's Day for reflection on the past year, it was today instead that I took the liberty to assess what I felt I had accomplished and could improve on.

For the record, this trip to Adelaide was my longest (at 10 days) and the one that's been the most important so far. It got me thinking of 2012's ups and downs, how things were getting to me sometimes for feeling isolated or what I've self-diagnosed as an increase in my anxiety. Looking at some books in my bedroom over there, I found myself grabbing this:

My memory's a bit of a shocker these days, so I don't remember who bought this for me (I know it was a present, maybe from an aunty?), but this pocket book contains a series of affirmations to help you... well, stay on the path.

On the path to what? A higher sense of being? Complete happiness? I don't know that I'll ever get to both of those (there will always be complications in life and that is something I readily accept), but perhaps this will help me attain a status close to those. Wayne W Dyer is one of the best in the self-help field so I'm putting myself in his hands.

You can tell I'm all reflective given it's a new year, can't you?

So I've decided to make 2013 a year of affirmations. A page a day for the year, posted on here to help me and you make it a positive 12 months.

For the first two days of the year I will present two affirmations. The first is a great way to look at our lives in general, fitting for the start of a new year.

All of us are on our own paths, doing exactly what we know how to do at the moment, given the conditions in our lives.

Today's:

The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.

I will be generous and care less for material possession. Dubbo has taught me about the latter somewhat - you don't need too much to get by.