Last night, had dinner with Pete and Ryan at Yellow Bird. Then it rained and rained. So rather than going to Belgian Beer Garden as planned, we ended up drinking beers at the Coq. Left kinda early to make my tram. I'm tired of being tired, so it was probably a good move.
On Thursday, went to 'Screen Worlds' a free exhibition at ACMI. Went for uni. It's pretty cool. Check it out, a whole bunch of TV, film, video game, art installation stuff. I also played Quake for about an hour against Rhys, Lachlan and Eleonora. Lots of fun. Saw a few movies this week too.

'Saw VI' (2009) directed by Kevin Greutert

I'm a big fan of this franchise but now it's getting kinda old. The acting in this is pretty bad throughout and there are parts that don't make sense in the context of the previous films. There is this constant re-writing process going on in the 'Saw' films, as each new film draws on the previous ones, altering the storyline. I actually thought this was pretty cool in the previous ones, but in this one it's a bit stupid and there are parts which just seem like lazy writing. There are some pretty glaring errors in this film which don't logically make sense and are just there to provide some pretty horrific death scenes. I got the vibe that the writers were hoping the audience had paid just enough attention to the previous films to know what was going on, but not enough attention to notice mistakes. Tobin Bell, who was such a great bad guy in the early films, is relegated to bit part player and the film really suffers for it. Having said that, there is a great twist at the end of the film.

'Michael Jackson's This is It' (2009) directed by Kenny Ortega

I really enjoyed this film, although I wouldn't really call myself a fan of Michael Jackson or anything. It's a documentary of sorts, basically a whole bunch of rehearsal footage and some brief interviews. There are complete performances from Michael Jackson, performed to virtually no one, just some of the crew. The thing I took away from this film was just how profoundly talented this guy was. His singing and dancing is unbelievably good and his attention to detail in getting everything right is fascinating. The parts where you see Michael interacting with the band, pointing things out to improve, just trying to get it spot on. Interesting stuff and very entertaining.

A short story, to be developed into a sketch.

Kentucky Fried Inglourious Basterds pt. 1
They often say that it is not the battle that counts, but the war. Well of course, that depends. Colonel Sanders had edged his troops further and further into enemy territory. It was getting dangerous, he knew that. His men hadn’t showered for weeks. But the stench of sweat and blood was so firmly entrenched in their nostrils that they just didn’t care anymore. They just simply did not care. Colonel Sanders poured the last remaining water from his flask onto his lips. It was just a few drops. “Argh” he swallowed, those drops of water trickling down his dry, parched throat. “MEN!” he croaked. His band of men came scurrying around the trenches, like ferrets in a live studio taping of “Ellen”. “Men”, Colonel Sanders said again, this time a little more quietly, "you are all men, right?". The men all murmured agreement. "I thought so" said Colonel Sanders. He pointed at a farmhouse, high on the hill. It had a thatched roof and an old mud brick wall lining it. “There it is” he said. There was a gasp. Colonel Sanders surveyed his men, his head slowly turning, taking them all in. It was Lieutenant MacDonald who had gasped. “Quiet, MacDonald! Now, this is where we will find number 11.” Jack Kristofferson, otherwise known as “The Prof” said “But, well, but will it make all that much difference?” Colonel Sanders shot him on sight. “I am not a real Colonel, you know” he said.

A different, sprawling kind of blog today. My eyes are tired. What's new with me apart from watching TV? Well, not a whole lot. Except that I ate way too much Nando's the other day. What am I saying? Too much? There's no such thing as too much Nando's. Oh, actually Saturday night was rad. Went out for dinner for TQ and Mish's birthday. Followed that up by going to Murmur and drinking. Good fun.

So I was watching 'Glee' yesterday and there was this bit in it where Jane Lynch's character is writing in her journal and there's this voiceover monologue as she ponders her life. At one point she says:
"I'll lose my endorsements. And without those endorsements, I won't be able to buy my hovercraft."
I love stuff like that. Why? Because it isn't explained. At no point in the series as far as I can remember has she mentioned wanting a hovercraft. There's no reason for it. And that's why it's funny. Yet so often in writing, editors will often ask "Why? What's the character's motivation here? How does this serve the plot? You need to explain this."
Yes, in writing straight narratives, those are all valid points. But if the sole reason that the line is there is cos it's funny, not because it serves plot, character or whatever, then leave it in. Cos funny rules. There's a lot to be said for things that make you go "Huh?".
A similar example happened when I was watching the latest ep of 'Peep Show'. A bunch of characters are sitting around talking about one of them becoming a father. Mark says something about being the first one of them to have a child before Super Hans mentions that he has twins. Never in six seasons has there been any mention that Super Hans has twins. That's awesome.
I also wanted to mention that the latest episode of 'The Office' was truly great. It wasn't particularly funny (not that funny at all really) but it was great, just really dark, edgy stuff. One of the finest shows going around.

So, it's been a little while. This was a strange week for me. I was filled with nervous energy making it hard for me to sleep. Hopefully that passes soon, though it doesn't seem like it will. Did much happen this week? Aside from work and uni, on Tuesday night I went to Brunswick for Tom's birthday. It was dinner with a bunch of Tom's friends at a pizza restaurant. Good food, good fun. Afterwards we went back to Tom's place for beer and ice cream, a curious combination that somehow worked.

You know, lately I've been noticing that there are actually quite a few TV shows that I'm regularly watching on Australian TV.

'Glee' is just great fun, it's very cleverly written in that it deliberately employs a lot of stereotypical characters (the jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds) but often plays them against type with great comic effect. It's funny, it has musical numbers that break up the show nicely and it has Jane Lynch. Jane Lynch is awesome.

'Man vs Wild' is a show I just discovered recently and I find it totally engrossing. Bear Grylls takes you through various environments, illustrating what to do in survival situations. The thing is, Grylls is quite a believable guy and despite the fact that many of the situations are probably orchestrated or set up with a team of researchers and experts behind them, it's still good viewing. A similar show that I used to watch is 'Survivorman' which is pretty much the same idea except with no crew, the guy in 'Survivorman' is genuinely all by himself with a camera.

'John Safran's Race Relations' is probably the best show I've seen in ages. The first episode was so entertaining and it's largely because the show is very much centred around Safran. His personality is what really drives the show. I also recommend you check out Safran's old audition tape for 'Race Around the World', it's great.

I've continued to watch 'Hungry Beast'. It has improved, I reckon. It's still not compulsive viewing by any stretch, but it's gotten better. This may be largely due to the fact that the hosts are more consistent, there doesn't appear to be so much of a revolving door of individuals, although maybe it's just that the regular hosts are now more familiar to me. The sketches are where this show could be improved, I'd love it if they were a bit more edgy. There's still this weird blend of comedy and current affairs style segments. Also, some segments are a bit misguided, the point is a bit unclear sometimes.

'Ten' (2002) directed by Abbas Kiarostami

I thought this was pretty cool. The film is basically set in a car, as an Iranian woman drives around, picking up passengers. It's divided into ten chapters, hence the title. The thing about this film is that the camera stays static, focusing in on either the passenger in the car, or the driver. This allows performance to remain the most significant element in the piece, giving the film a sense of realism. The static camera is a little unsettling at first, as you're almost sitting there waiting for the camera to move or for an edit, but once I realised that that was how the film was structured, it allowed me to just settle into it and take in the characters. It's very effective.

Last week was a bit stressful. A lot of work to do plus I had some car problems. But then the weekend came around and things relaxed. Pretty quiet weekend. On Saturday night I went down to some bars in St. Kilda with a few of the guys. Good night. Also, a brief respite from homework meant that I got to watch some movies.

'Pretty In Pink' (1986) directed by Howard Deutch

It's a little slow to get going, some of the relationships between characters don't quite work and the main character Andie, well, I didn't find her particularly likeable. The story of this film is built around this idea of quite strict segregation between groups at a high school, an idea that seems pretty dated now. Having said that, there are some great performances in this movie. Jon Cryer is great as a kind of lovestruck joker, adding a real depth to a character that could perhaps have become simply comic relief. I thought James Spader played a really interesting role too.

'W.' (2008) directed by Oliver Stone

A biopic, detailing the life of George W. Bush. It's a strange viewing experience because it came out so recently so I found it very difficult to divorce my perception of the real Bush with the Bush portrayed in the film. It also made me think of the Matt Stone and Trey Parker show 'That's My Bush!' although 'W.' is not a parody. Anyway, it was a little hard to know how to take this film, although it's quite good. For the most part, it's played pretty straight and Josh Brolin is convincing as George W. The film really focuses on George W's life, his relationship with his father and his entry into politics. Interestingly, it has a pretty light tone throughout. Politically, the film feels fairly impartial, although the focus here doesn't seem to be the politics so much, but the title character. I think this film would be really interesting to watch in about ten years time.

'Whip It' (2009) directed by Drew Barrymore

I didn't expect this to be great but I was actually pleasantly surprised. It's a solid film and I really enjoyed it. It has a great cast, some really nice moments plus Ellen Page is always very watchable. The dynamic between the characters is always interesting too. I think this is a really important element in movies that often gets overlooked. When you see two or more characters on screen, it has to work, there has to be something interesting going on between them. Not only that, but I reckon there should be a number of different dynamics going on between a variety of characters. This is what really works in 'Whip It' and makes it engaging throughout. Plus the subject of roller derby is interesting and good to watch.

'Bronson' (2008) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

When I was pretty young, I remember watching some Refn films on SBS, the 'Pusher' films and also 'Bleeder'. There was something about them that really captivated me at the time. They were dark, violent but they had this amazing visual quality to them. These are the things that I noticed in 'Bronson' too. It's an incredibly visual film, shots are extremely well thought out and are kept still, allowing the viewer to really take them in. At one point, I paused the film and just by chance it had paused in the middle of a transition fade. I noticed the colours, the overlapping images; just stunning stuff. Also, the central perfomance of Tom Hardy as Bronson is intense, it is at once theatrical and menacing, brooding and violent. It definitely keeps you watching.

Haven't been doing much except filmed another doco with Rhys last night. Went well. Today I worked. Just finished an essay. Exciting stuff. You know what's terrific though? Every week there's a new episode of 'The Office', 'Peep Show' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' to watch. So good. Here's something I wrote. Short and silly.

A Most Peculiar Day
One morning Alexander woke up and thought, today is one of those different sorts of day. He put on his dressing gown, wandered downstairs and proudly proclaimed at the breakfast table “You know, I've been reading an awful lot about cults!” His wife Carol was a little bemused. She poured a glass of orange juice, hoping that he would unwrap and then invest himself in his morning paper. Instead, she felt his eyes resting on her, waiting eagerly for her response. “Yes, Alexander” she eventually replied. Alexander spoke excitedly at once. “And that is why, well, I have signed us, all of us, up for this!” Alexander produced a glossy brochure. On the front was an island, white sand kissing the deep blue water, palm trees casting fine silhouettes. Words in bold font read “Fairweather Meadows.” Carol, sassy as she was, said “Well the weather may be fair, but those sure don’t look like meadows.” Alexander cuddled Carol and said “Oh dear, you’ll love it, you’ll simply love it.” He sipped his orange juice and Carol smiled. “That orange juice is poisoned, you know” she said. Alexander gulped. This really was turning out to be a different sort of day.

Just shot a doco with Rhys at Duy's place. I reckon it went really well. Tomorrow we start shooting a different doco too. I like doco because it's raw, it's real, the action just happens and it's unpredictable. You can get some really nice moments.

Saturday night was nice. Went to Sam and Manisha's engagement party at Arcadia in South Yarra. It was cool, drank some beers, ate some mini-pizzas and some jelly beans. Most enjoyable.

Last night went down to the Corner Hotel to see 'The Middle East' play. Great gig. Drank some cider, watched some bands. I quite liked the first band who were called 'Dragging Pianos', I think. Nice one.

On Friday night I had burgers with Michelle and we watched a movie. Which movie? This one.

'Up' (2009) directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Wow. This film is amazing. My first thought at the conclusion of the film was: faultless. Possibly the best film I've seen this year. Definitely my favourite Pixar film. The script is just incredible, it's a film that would be enjoyed by people of any age. It runs the full range of emotions, it's exciting, full of adventure and pathos and it's also very funny. I watched it in 3D and it was really cool. The 3D didn't feel cheap or gimmicky, it just served the story. The great thing about this is the way the characters are written, they all have a great deal of depth, their personalities are motivated by clear plot elements. In short, they all exist in the film for a reason, they're not just there to be "comic sidekick" or "evil bad guy". Loved it.

I watched another movie this week, 'The Magician' (2005) directed by Scott Ryan. I won't do a review of it because I've watched it a heap of times and I tend not to review things I've already seen. I also have to write an essay on it in the next few days. However, I recommend you check it out. It's an Australian film, shot for a tiny sum of money. It's a feature but it's shot like a documentary and damn it's good. A real achievement. There's some excellent dialogue in it, the narrative is short but it works really well and it's very funny. Scott Ryan is excellent as the lead actor, actually he's the reason this film works so well.