'Death Proof' (2007) directed by Quentin Tarantino

The great thing about Tarantino is that he knows what his audience wants and he delivers it. I really enjoyed this film, the concept is great, it builds the tension nicely, there are some great car chase sequences but most of all there is lots of interesting dialogue. The main thing I liked in this were all the little references to other Tarantino films. It gives the movie a sense of place, as though it exists within the same framework of Tarantino's world. It's little touches like this that really interested me. Plus it's the way the director plays with genre. The big thing I noticed was that he knows all of the rules of the genre which means that he also knows when to break them, making for a very different kind of film.

A short story.

The Global Financial Crisis
Graham was in a hurry. He pulled his coat tight around his shoulders, protecting himself from the winter chill. Quickly, he marched down the main street but before he knew it, he had been stopped. “Excuse me, sir!” said a short, squat man in a tight fitting jester outfit. Graham was not impressed. He continued walking, muttering, “I’m in a rush, I’m not interested.” Suddenly the jester was in front of him again. “Sir! Do you love bargains?” asked the jester. His eyes were open wide, waiting for a response. Graham halted a moment, he thought about the question. “Well, yes. I suppose I do love bargains. But I’m in a hurry.” The jester jumped up and down excitedly. “I knew it!” he called, “You look like a man who loves bargains. I sure can pick ‘em!” Graham tried to continue walking, but the jester was tugging on his sleeve. “Sir, sir!” said the jester. “Yes?” Graham asked. “Quick, this way, it’s Mad Monday at the Llama Barn. Lots of bargains sir, everything half price!” said the jester, barely pausing to take a breath. Now wait a minute, Graham thought to himself, this sounded promising. He loved the Llama Barn. “Oh, I didn’t realise you were from the Llama Barn” he murmured, his eyes lighting up, “I love the Llama Barn. Half price you say?” The jester seemed a little downbeat now. “Yep, half price. Everything. It’s Mad Monday.” Graham started walking back in the direction he had come from. “Well, maybe I’ll take a look” he said. The Llama Barn sold everything, from novelty thongs to imitation fruit. Graham entered the shop and picked up a mug. It had the words “Ken’s Mug” embroidered on the side. Ken would love this, thought Graham. “I’ll take this, please”, Graham said, presenting the mug. The jester grimaced and pointed at a small sign on the shop front. It read "Mad Monday. Everything half price." Graham squinted. In tiny writing below this sign was a smaller sign. It read "except mugs." Well, thought Graham, this doesn’t seem very mad at all. The jester said, “We have to have a modicum of sanity, you know.” Graham looked surprised. “How did you know what I was thinking?” he asked. Then, the jester vanished in a puff of confetti. A high pitched voice whistled past Graham’s right ear. “I can read minds” it said. Immediately, Graham tapped his breast pocket. His wallet was gone. Graham was getting sick of this. It was the third time this week he had been duped by a street jester while trying to buy Ken a mug.

A day at uni. A day at work. I finished reading 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I really enjoyed it. I think I should read it again, but maybe not straight away. I don't read anywhere near as much as I used to. Perhaps I should aim to read a book per week. For now though, some more Comedy Influences.

Graham Linehan
I'm a huge fan of his writing and there's just so much of it. Recently there has been 'The IT Crowd' and 'Black Books' but then there are all of his collaborations with Chris Morris, very edgy stuff. I really liked that first season of 'Big Train' but then you could really notice the difference when he stopped writing for it in season two. 'The Fast Show' is something I've been meaning to see more of as well. Most of all though, I love 'Father Ted'. I can remember watching it when I was in primary school I think, it was on late at night on TV. In particular, I remember they always showed the Christmas episode every Christmas, appropriately enough. The show was just a wonderful take on the sitcom genre, with such an original concept and brilliant characters. It really stands up to repeated viewings today and is one of my favourite shows ever.

Chris Lilley
I reckon 'We Can Be Heroes' and 'Summer Heights High' are easily two of the best Australian comedy series of all time. Chris Lilley's characters are spot on, brilliantly written and acted. They're just observational gems. I think the great thing about Lilley's comedy is that there is always an underlying truth to it, he takes recognisable Australian characters and finds the inherent humour in them. These shows don't rely on catchphrases for the sake of catchphrases either, such as in a show like 'Little Britain'. Instead, if a character such as Jonah happens to have a catchphrase it is because it is integral to the way they speak, in fact, it is integral to their character as a whole.

The Office (US)
I'll preface this one by saying that the original British 'The Office' is a favourite of mine but currently I am really into the US version. Initially I wasn't a fan of the 'The Office' (US), mainly because the first season borrows heavily from the British one and it feels like a pretty pale imitation in comparison. However, as each season goes on, the series really finds it's feet and becomes a totally separate entity. That's a great achievement, to start off with a hugely successful model and then to diverge from it so significantly that something totally new and different is created. The cast is brilliant and the characters and stories have really developed around the talents of the cast members. It's a show that consistently makes me laugh, it's smartly written and you actually feel quite connected to the characters.

That's it for now.

I thought I'd sometimes put up some short pieces of fiction writing. They're not really structured but are just short exercises, things that I might look at developing or might scrap. Ideas, really, mostly stream of consciousness. Anyway, here's one.

Astronaut School
At astronaut training school, Bertie Dirtweed was never top of the class, but he tried. His instructor was always saying to him “Bertie, are you going to be an astro-thousand or an astro-naught?” Bertie would always reply “An astronaut”, believing this to be the correct answer and although technically it was, it wasn’t what his instructor wanted to hear. "You'd better start putting in astro-thousand percent, Bertie" his instructor said. Bertie spent many a summer in the brig as a result, which in astronaut school is an anti-gravity bin. It’s the same as a regular bin except spinning constantly and full of compost. Of course this meant that Bertie became acclimatised to weightlessness much faster than his fellow pupils. Still, it didn’t help him in "the long run". ("the long run" was the annual astronaut training school marathon, an event that Bertie was appalling at, like most things.)

This week I've had a vivid dream every night which is unusual. Today is last day of mid-semester break.

'Traitor' (2008) directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff

A solid thriller featuring an outstanding performance from Don Cheadle. The film builds tension really well and keeps you guessing, blurring the lines between just who is a terrorist in this film and who is not. Cheadle is great in this film as Samir, a complex character with strong convictions. Without giving away too much, the narrative develops the character of Samir really well, particularly in the way that he is perceived by the other characters in the film. Also, the ending features a really clever twist, even if it is a little improbable.

'Alpha Dog' (2006) directed by Nick Cassavetes

Terrific film. It's written really well, setting up crucial plot points and key character relationships early before executing a subsequent payoff much later on. The story is about drug dealers and brings together quite a large ensemble cast that works really well, chiefly because the characters and performances are so strong. Justin Timberlake and Anton Yelchin are particularly good. For the majority of the film there is a mood that is dynamic and fun, however beneath that there is always a sense of danger, of tension, perhaps even of impending doom. Much of this is created through on screen labels of seemingly irrelevant characters, identifying them as 'witnesses'. Witnesses to what? Well, as the film moves towards it's climactic point it always keeps you guessing. Well worth checking out.

'Tom White' (2004) directed by Alkinos Tsilmidos

A quality Australian film driven by a top lead performance from Colin Friels. It's about an average middle-aged family man who has a mental breakdown which leads him to basically opt out of his life and become homeless. It's an interesting story with lots of original characters and the cinematography looks great.

'All the Real Girls' (2003) directed by David Gordon Green

I really liked this film. It looks amazing, shot in the same style as Green's first feature film 'George Washington'. There is a sense of stillness to this film, as though each scene could be a painting. The action unfolds in a subtle and controlled way, introducing the characters and building the relationships between them brilliantly. The romance at the centre of the film is played out so well, it really drew me into their world. It's not a simplistic film at all, there is a lot going on here, the film is at times poignant and heart wrenching.

Here's some more Podcast Reviews.

Adam and Joe
I've just started listening to this recently but I really like it so far. It's basically a compilation of the best bits of their BBC6 radio show. Adam and Joe are both quite funny and they bounce off each other really well so the show moves along at a good pace. The segments are top quality as well, especially 'Song Wars' in which Adam and Joe each have to create a song based on a common theme.

Keith and the Girl
I haven't listened to this show for a long time but I thought I'd mention it because I used to be quite into it. In fact, I think I have listened to over 500 episodes of it. The show features a New York couple, Keith and Chemda, who tell stories from their lives and just generally chat. It's very funny, particularly the early episodes when they tell stories about their jobs as children's party clowns. The main reason that I stopped listening to it was the fact that I was finding their output a bit too prolific to keep up with - an hour long show five times a week is a lot, but I think I might return to it at some point.

Sound Opinions
This is an excellent show about music. Usually, each episode will centre around a particular theme which might be a special guest musician, a classic album or a genre of music. The hosts are Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot who are both Chicago based music critics. They are incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining and this show has introduced me to a lot of great music.

The Life with Roy & HG
I've always been a big fan of Roy & HG and have followed their various radio shows for a while. This one, like their old Triple J show, is focused on sport and it's very funny. I love the way these guys bounce off each other and riff on a topic, subtly building towards a conclusion that is both humorous and unexpected. Great stuff.

That's it for now.

Yesterday was a pleasant day. I headed over to Brunswick to hang with Tom. We had a coffee and went out for lunch and chilled at his place for a bit. Twas cool. Last night played some soccer, I think we lost. The day before that was a full day at work but it was quite good because I ended up writing a fair bit. Wrote about eight short pieces of which three or four I think I'll be able to extend into full sketches. It was a bit of a relief because up until then I've had some writer's block, just had to push through it I suppose. I might put some short pieces on this blog perhaps, I'm not sure.

'The Fog of War' (2003) directed by Errol Morris

A well constructed, thought provoking documentary centred around the former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara. The film uses interviews with McNamara as the main structural device and also uses a lot of compelling archival footage. The film is split into eleven parts, based around eleven lessons learnt from the life of McNamara. The film is great viewing chiefly because McNamara is such a charismatic speaker, he really offers a unique insight into recent American history, politics and war.

I spend a lot of time listening to my ipod. Some weeks I reckon I'd listen to about thirty hours worth of stuff (mainly because I have my ipod on all day at my job). Anyway, a lot of that time is spent listening to podcasts, currently I listen to about 15 different ones. Thing is, it's always difficult to find out what podcasts are good. Usually you have to listen to a few episodes, see what it's like, work out whether you want to commit to downloading it every week. Then more often than not, you decide no, it's not really worth it. So on that note, I thought it might be useful to do some Podcast Reviews of stuff that I have spent time listening to.

Get This
This was a radio show hosted by Tony Martin, Ed Kavalee and Richard Marsland. It ran for two years up until 2007 but you can still find (nearly) all the episodes online. With a different co-host each episode, it's a mix of talk, in-jokes, hilarious sketches and awesome talkback. It's just addictive once you start listening to it and I still quote stuff from it, two years on.

Hamish and Andy
Sure, they're ridiculously popular, but for good reason I reckon. I have consistently listened to this from the beginning and it's stayed consistently funny. There's just a great comedic chemistry between the duo and they're always striving for new ideas and pushing the boundaries to keep the show fresh.

The Russell Brand Show
Man, at first I wasn't too sure about this show but I really got into it as it went on. It definitely reached a high point right before it got axed. I'd suggest it was so good because Russell Brand was always pushing the envelope with his comedy. I love his theatrics and his use of language, it's an improvisational style of comedy that's just hilarious. Matt Morgan and Mr. Gee are very funny also. Find it here.

The Ricky Gervais Show
Just a great radio show. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant combine really well but it is Karl Pilkington who makes this show truly brilliant. It's strange to think that in a radio show that features two of the finest comedy writers ever, it is Karl that steals the show. Hilarious.

Flight of the Conchords
Before the tv show was this 6 part BBC radio serial. When I travelled around Europe, I listened to this obsessively on repeat. It's very funny, it has great cameos and the songs really stand up to repeated listens.

The Sound of Young America
This radio show, based in Los Angeles, has introduced me to so much new stuff, whether it be music, tv shows, comedians, artists - whatever really. It's basically a show about pop culture, the host Jesse Thorn interviews all manner of guests and even when it's about something that I might not be into, I still find it really interesting.

This American Life
A one hour radio documentary. Each week is a different theme and it's always something really interesting and insightful. The key thing about this show is that although it's all factual, it always tells a fascinating story that I've never heard before.

The Treatment
Each episode, Elvis Mitchell interviews someone important in film. He's one of the best interviewers I've ever heard because his knowledge of film is so huge that he usually offers insight on a film that even the interviewee hadn't thought of. He does it in a way that suggests a great passion for film.

There are lots more but I'll leave it there for now, to be continued.

'(500) Days of Summer' (2009) directed by Marc Webb

While watching this film I became increasingly frustrated. I found it quite hard to get into, it was a bit all over the place. It employs a range of storytelling techniques, most of which don't really work. The worst of these is probably the use of voiceover narration which seems totally out of place. There's also a pretty awkward dreamy dance sequence. I don't know, I really wanted to like this film but the tone of it was a bit confused. The characters weren't quite likeable enough for it to be an interesting romance but it wasn't really funny either, despite the light tone. The film's structure is non-linear, it plays with time, constantly shifting back and forth so as to create these kind of snapshot memories of a relationship. It's an interesting technique, but I had to wonder whether it really served the narrative. Instead, I found it kind of fragmented the story, ultimately undermining it. It didn't allow me to get involved with the relationship, to see it develop. The structure seemed to be that in one scene it's quite romantic and happy but in the next you see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character miserable. This sequence then repeats for a good portion of the film. I found this a little tedious. Having said that, there were some nice moments in the film, I particularly liked the split screen "Expectation vs Reality" scene. I also thought that there was some nice chemistry at times between Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Basically, I left the cinema feeling a bit ambivalent about the whole thing, I'm still not totally sure what I think of it but I still keep coming up with criticisms. I guess that means I'm still thinking about it days later though.

My good friend Pete recently wrote this about 'The Micallef Program':

"They never push for laughs, instead the sketches have a concept that is followed through."

I hope he doesn't mind me repeating it here, but I found it a really insightful comment and something that I have thought about a lot since. It's true of many of the best and most edgy comedy programs, whether sketch or otherwise. I love that idea that a laugh is not necessarily the driving force, but instead it is more about the communication of an inherently funny idea. This notion really reinforces the complexity and also intangibility of humour.

To add to that, Tony Martin recently wrote this article in 'The Age'. Essentially it is about important figures in British comedy in the past twenty years. This article really made me think about my own influences when I write. Comedy and comedy writing is an area I'm fascinated with. It's definitely an area I would love to work in professionally.

Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to include a segment in this blog entitled 'Comedy Influences'. Here is Installment No. 1. (in no particular order)

Shaun Micallef
Without doubt, a huge influence. I have all of his DVDs and for me, the three seasons of 'The Micallef Program' are probably a peak in Australian comedy. I really love Micallef's command of the English language, when Micallef talks his language manages to go off in all manner of tangents, doubling back on itself and going on a comedic scenic route before getting to his eventual point. Micallef's sketches have a very strong sensibility to them which I suppose you'd have to call distinctly Micallef-esque. Often they play with conventional television formats such as the quiz show or the documentary tropes, subverting them hilariously.

Armando Iannucci
Much of the British comedy that I love has Armando Iannucci's writing behind it. Although I have not seen all of his work yet, his sketch show 'The Armando Iannucci Shows' has some of the finest sketches I've ever seen. He really focuses in on the awkwardness and silliness of many of life's conventions. I won't mention all of the shows he's written for, but 'I'm Alan Partridge' in particular is one of the best sitcoms I've seen. Really, Iannucci's comedy writing track record is ridiculously strong and although much of his stuff hasn't been shown in Australia, a lot of it can be found on Youtube.

Larry David
By following up 'Seinfeld' with 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', Larry David created something totally new, but which still retained that Larry David feel that made 'Seinfeld' so funny. There are definite similiarities between the two shows, particularly in the tone and structure of the stories, yet 'Curb' still feels totally original. To be honest, I wasn't sure 'Curb' could sustain as many seasons as it has but after just watching the sixth season, I'm still loving it. The reason is the quality of writing, every episode has a solid arc and because the dialogue is all improvised it always feels very fresh and very, very funny.

So I think I'll leave it at 3 for the first installment.

Well, Michelle's birthday drinks on Friday night was a big one. So much so that Saturday I was pretty exhausted and fell asleep watching the second half of the football. I'm on mid-semester break now and it feels weird.

'The Jerk' (1979) directed by Carl Reiner

This is a pretty silly comedy but it slowly grew on me as it went on. It has some genuinely funny gags and once I got into it, I started to enjoy it. Steve Martin does his Steve Martin shtick and it plays out like a cross between a Pee-Wee Herman movie and a Will Ferrell movie. You can definitely see how this film has influenced contemporary comedy films.

So they're bringing 'Hey Hey' back. I used to love 'Hey Hey'. There's not enough live TV on these days and that's probably the reason that I usually find myself watching 'Rove' each week. It's not that I really like watching it, it's just that I'm starved of live TV, particularly live comedy. The problem is, I watch it and I always think that it doesn't quite work, they haven't quite nailed the format. Here's my top 5 ways to improve 'Rove'.

1. Get rid of the people hanging around on the couch.
This always makes me feel awkward, they just sit there doing nothing apart from occasionally offering a witty remark. It's like being at a party and knowing that off in the corner, out of your field of vision is some dude not talking to anyone, pretending to text someone. It's awkward. In the case of 'Rove', it's also a waste of talent. They could surely get these guys doing something, perhaps they could even be backstage in the green room with the occasional cross. They need a defined role.

2. Get rid of Rove's monologue at the start of the show.
There are already a lot of news based joke segments in the show with 'Petespace' and the 'News Desk' stuff. This means there's a bit of an overlap in content and style, covering a lot of familiar ground. Of the three, the monologue is perhaps the weakest and we already see a lot of Rove in the show. I would make the opening either more creative or more classic, perhaps a Letterman style voice-over guy could introduce Rove.

3. Bring back 'Roving With Rove'.
Or something similar. Rove is at his best when he is interacting with the average joe. His best stuff on the show comes when he is naturally just talking to the audience and bouncing off them. Similarly, 'Roving With Rove' allowed Rove to be naturally funny and really instilled in the audience the qualities that make him so likeable. It also takes him out of the studio environment, giving the show a a real sense of freshness.

4. More sketches and written bits.
'News Desk' is by far the best thing on the show. Similarly, 'Kevin Rudd P.M.' is usually worth a few laughs. They need to do more stuff in the show that allows the writers to write jokes. This stuff feels tighter than the casual banter between Rove, Pete and co. For instance, the scripted sketch with Rove and wrestler Jeff Jarrett a few weeks ago worked great.

5. Bring back Ryan Shelton.
For me, Ryan Shelton's segments on 'Rove' were some recent Australian comedy highlights. Sure, they didn't always work and they were obviously heavily influenced by Armando Iannucci's stuff, but the main thing was that these sketches provided a new and different comedy voice on 'Rove'. 'Rove' needs more of this kind of thing, it needs to provide a voice for young, fresh comedians to come through. It's the kind of format that really lends itself well to sketches, even brief ones that lead into other segments.

So that's my top 5 ways to improve 'Rove' for now. 'Rove' isn't bad, it's just with the lack of live comedy on Australian TV at the moment, I reckon what we have should be as good as possible.

Bit of a busy week again. Dinner last night was good fun, eating Chinese food with some of the usual suspects. Most enjoyable. No time for homework though and mid-semester break next week is very welcome. Sometimes I feel like there's too much noise going on, like bees buzzing around my head. Makes it hard to focus.

'Glue' (2006) directed by Alexis Dos Santos

An engaging film about teens living in a small Argentinan town. It's stylistically very interesting, the use of camera and light is what makes this film great to watch. The mostly improvised performances from young actors are a highlight too. Worth watching.

'Funny People' (2009) directed by Judd Apatow

Pretty good movie. It's not really a comedy so much as a drama with some quirky characters and that Apatow sensibility. It does have funny moments but a lot of those come from when the stand up comic characters are telling jokes as part of their routines. Overall, I really enjoyed the film although the last thirty minutes or so (particularly the scenes with Eric Bana) felt overlong and a bit messy. Up until then though, the movie really held my intention and was thoroughly entertaining. The relationship between the two main characters played by Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen was engaging and the film played around with some really interesting themes.

The weather has changed and it's making me feel uneasy. Warm and windy, something is surely afoot. This week was kinda busy. I played soccer twice and got hit in the face by some dude's elbow, prompting a swollen and bruised lip. (You should have seen his elbow though). Had to do my documentary pitch on Friday, I was pretty nervous but it seemed to go over ok. Also, some boring classes meant that I got back into drawing, something I haven't done in a while. I drew a whole bunch of stuff including a jet-ski, a giraffe and a range of animal hybrids.

'Inland Empire' (2006) directed by David Lynch

This film is difficult to critique because it's difficult to categorise. It wasn't badly made, I think the director achieved what he set out to do. It's just that it wasn't a particularly enjoyable or rewarding experience watching it. I suppose it is what it is; part art film, part fragmented narrative feature. It's just that I didn't feel that I gained much from watching it, I found it overlong, interesting at times but quite boring overall. The story wasn't particularly engaging or accessible but then, I'm not sure it was meant to be. My reaction to it was that it was an arduous and ultimately dissatisfying experience. It was like when someone tells you about their dream from the night before and they're really excited about it but to you it's still a step removed and dull. It was like that, but for three hours.

A long day at work although I got my essay done. Woo. Haven't written an essay in a while but seemed to get back in the groove ok. Got some new albums to spin. Paul Dempsey - 'Everything Is True', The xx - 'xx' and Radiohead - 'Amnesiac (Collector's Edition)'. 'Amnesiac' is one of my favourite albums of all time. The collector's edition is pretty cool, lots of b-sides and live tracks.

'Ratatouille' (2007) directed by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava

The animation in this is really impressive, it's just very enjoyable to watch. I did find the story a little hit and miss though because in parts it seemed to have a lot of depth but other parts not so much. For instance, some characters are just stereotypes, they seem to be "bad guys" for the sake of being "bad guys", which is kinda unusual for a Pixar film. Also, I did find it a little hard to get into a story about rats and food. For some reason also, when the rats are walking on two legs, they're much more watchable than when scurrying about on four.

This morning I got up at 5am. Strangely, 5am felt like a good time to wake up. It made the day feel more open and ultimately more satisfying. Perhaps I should try it again sometime. Oh, the reason I was up so early was because I was a runner on a film shoot today for a music video. It was a long day but also a great experience. I mainly did a bit of traffic control, carrying of stuff and driving to fetch things like lunch and a new hard drive. This weekend was pretty good. Saturday night I went out with the boys. It was one of the few occasions post-Europe that the five of us Euro-trip guys have been out together. It was a cool night. I've been really enjoying watching season 6 of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' on DVD as well. Watched a movie too.

'Ponyo' (2008) directed by Hayao Miyazaki

I really like Miyazaki's films. I love the simplicity and quirkiness in the style of animation. This one was great, very cute and entertaining. It was probably aimed at a much younger audience than some of Miyazaki's other films but that didn't really matter, it still had an intriguing enough story and the hand drawn animation really is quite amazing.

This week felt like it went for a year. Hey, remember that time, last year? That was Monday. Oh. On Monday, class finished real early. So then I had all this time to kill. I went to the city, ate some Japanese food by myself. It's strange eating in a restaurant by yourself. I read my book. Then I had a coffee. Then I went to South Melbourne where I wandered around and then met Anthony and consumed some pints of beer. Home late (for a Monday). It was good to catch Ant though, it had been a while. Then Tuesday and Wednesday happened and then on Thursday night I went to see Ben Folds at the Palais. It was great. Missy Higgins came out and played some drums and sang a bit too. Folds played a couple of new songs which were particularly ace and 'Bitches Ain't Shit' went off. Friday I was meant to pitch a doco idea but time ran out so I didn't.

'The Thin Blue Line' (1988) directed by Errol Morris

Pretty interesting documentary about a murder case. The story unfolds very much like a courtroom drama, told through interviews and re-enactments. It's quite engrossing as the narrative moves closer and closer to the startling truth.