Category Archive for ‘TV and Movies’ at me, my camera and my life.

Archive for the 'TV and Movies' Category

Goma delight

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on May 19, 2008

in TV and Movies, friends and random life

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Friday night after I work I met up with Thor and her family and crew at the Australian Cinémathèque at GOMA to watch a selection of Icelandic short films and then Sigur Rós’s concert doco Heima as part of a month long program that GOMA is running called Iceland Waves. Seeing Ísafjörður on the big screen with the local brass band playing down the street was pretty darn cool, so used to seeing Reykjavik on the big screen but seeing Isafjörður was just wow. I am by no means the biggest Sigur Rós fan, I enjoy the music for sure but the most powerful thing in the film for me was seeing Iceland on the big screen, seeing places and going ooh that is that place round the corner from that place or ohh I’ve driven down that road. Just cool stuff.

The short film set that we saw was Cold Hearts 3, some (a large proportion) were a bit too ahhhh eyebrow rising weird for me but I did particularly love one of the short films entitled I Sing I Swim 2007 mainly because I quite dearly love Seabear which provided the soundtrack for the film and you can listen to the song of the same title on their myspace page.

This Friday will see me at GOMA again

I finally got to to Ikea on Saturday! Only 18mths or so after the new one opened! I had made a promise with Mum that I wouldn’t go to Ikea till I was moving out of home. First weekend out of the family home and Andrea and I hit up Ikea for assorted goodies including

Skubb

Frost

Bigum

and of course we had lunch at Ikea

On the way home we popped into Pennisi Cuisine on my favourite street in Woolloongabba, Balaclava street where I picked up a case of tomato passata… and some dried herbs.

So that is my life at the moment.

Though I perhaps should also mention….

….
That I got accepted into the next round of testing for the 2009 Department of Defence Graduate Program!!! Happy slightly

the past week.

Published

Helen

on February 17, 2008

in TV and Movies, photography and random life

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Monday.

I went to my doctor on Monday arvo to see what he said about my ankle. He said that I sure did a good job of it, re-tearing the ligaments that I tore playing silly buggers about ten years ago. All that I can do is rest it, keep it supported and wait. He said that it should take no longer than six weeks post injury and I have to be very careful in that time not to injure it again.

I took this photo as I lay in the recliner watching something on TV

Tuesday.

This photo has the same tale as the one above. Laying in the recliner, watching something, seeing what photos I can take and only been slightly happy with this one.

Wednesday. Sorry day.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

Hopefully now we will only take steps forward and the gap will close.

One of the things I most enjoy about working on the twelfth floor is the chance to observe what is happening below me, watching people on the roof of a building having a smoke, the window cleaners, the witch’s hats on the roof a building that move round with the rain. Perhaps what I enjoy most is watching the going-ons of St John’s Cathedral directly across the street from me. I have seen the spires grow a little bit each day, watched the workers sitting on the scaffolding as they eat their lunch, observed the washing on the washing line of the residence and what strangely delights me the most is watching the portaloo move between spires as they work on different spires each day. Watching a crane lift a portaloo up and move it through the air is a strange sight to see. As in the above picture, it also sometimes has to get taken down to the ground to be emptied. The picture is not the best due to the windows we have, they are double glazed with blinds in the middle.

Thursday.

One of the things I most enjoy about catching the bus to work is that it gives me a chance to read a lot more. I have also been reading even more this past few weeks as I lay in bed with my foot up. One of the other things I have been doing is quizzing myself on trivia questions.

Friday.

I catch the bus from outside the Hotel Orient, a hotel I grew up hearing stories of as it was the resident hangout of my older brother when he lived in Brisbane, back when it was one of the icons of the local music scene. Now it the local pub for work and where I catch the bus from outside of in the afternoon.

I spent part of the bus trip home talking to Sam, and the job she is just about to start as the Indo (Indonesian) teacher at Townsville Grammer and the trip she will have to make to get there. Sam is from Emerald a town that has had some pretty bad floods this past month. The trip north to Townsville normally takes about seven hours. However, at the moment the whole area from the coast out west to Emerald area is in flood and it is not looking to improve any time soon, the only option she has to drive there is a sixteen hour drive the long way. At the moment she is just waiting in Emerald hoping the waters start to recede.

Friday night, Mum and I went to see 27 Dresses and oh what a laugh it was, a whole lot better than I had expected from the previews. Then I came home and watched Pride and Prejudice.

Saturday.
I woke up to see a message from Karl on Sykpe after messaging for a little while, I picked up the headset and pressed dial. We spoke for a while and then Mum and Pabbi came in chatted as well. Then they went shopping and we kept on talking, nearly two hours later we hung up. I went to have breakfast, Karl went to entertain. I could not fathom to imagine how much that phone call would have cost if I had made it on the landline, nearly two hours from Australia to Iceland, it would not have been cheap. The best thing is that he had little piece of news for us, he is planning on coming home for Christmas :D, also my second eldest brother, his wife and his two daughters are also planning on coming to spend Christmas in Australia too Christmas 2008 is going to be a blast

Sheets on the line, the sun coming and going between the storm clouds to the south. Sheets billowing in the wind.
I was getting a bit stir crazy yesterday laying inside, so I went outside with my 85mm lens and lay on the old brick bqq taking a few photos. I took a few frames of this shot, trying each time to get the sheet billowing just right in the afternoon breeze.

I have looked up at the antenna on the roof next door numerous times, each time thinking that would be a cool photo, yesterday I took the photo.

That was my week.

BIFF Movies 3&4

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Helen

on August 5, 2007

in TV and Movies

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Movies, Movies, Movies

First up was Dol: The Valley of Tambourines. A movie set in Kurdistan, starting in Turkish Kurdistan, then Iraqi Kurdistan then onto Iranian Kurdistan before returning to Turkish Kurdistan. The opening scenes they were warm and for a second you weren’t in geopolitical hotspot, you were with two young loves. It was scary, sad and thought provoking. There are three very different Kurdistans shown but they all have the same turmoil in the life. It was good, the landscape and the horses were stunning but something was missing to make it fantastic for me.

Unfinished Sky and Yolk.
Yolk is a 15 minute short film about a teenage girl with Down Syndrome, an egg, a boy and a mother (possibly single) who is frazzled. Shot round The Gap area it was great to be able to recognise local landmarks. I didn’t love it or it didn’t really grab me with the first viewing. It was better than average than though.

Unfinished Sky. A movie I have been waiting to see since I heard about it been filmed round Boonah last year. It was dark, gripping, contentious, a romance and a comedy in one. It was real in so many ways and I think what really made it that real was the decision not to subtitle Tahmeena when she was speaking in Dari. As the movie is really about John and his response to Tahmeena entering his life rather dramatically. He can only understand what she says once she has learnt some English until then her speaking Dari is just noise. It isn’t been released in cinemas till next year some time but if it happens to be screened at a Film Festival near you, I would highly recommend seeing it. I can’t express in words how much this movie is and what it counts for and what it portrays. The highlight of the festival for me so far and I think it will be hard to top.

Anyway I am off to The Troubadour to see Svavar Knutur and co

BIFF Movies 1 & 2

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Helen

on August 4, 2007

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This evening I saw my first two BIFF Movies. The first was Bamako. I missed the first 10 minutes because of traffic chaos and perhaps that is why I never quite got my teeth into it. It was one of the movies that I was most looking forward to seeing but I ended up drifting off quite a few times. Reading some reviews I think if I had caught the beginning it probably would have made more sense for me. One of the things I loved about it was the fact that they were holding a trial in this courtyard - World Bank vs the people and the everyday life of the courtyard just continues on during the trial. That was funny.

Between the two movies I grabbed bite to eat and headed over to Captain Burke to take some photos of the city and the Story Bridge. Here is one photo.

The second movie I saw was Control and I just, this movie in terms of the art in it was the best for sure I have seen in a while. The cinematography was just so perfect. I was apprehensive about the decision to film the movie in black and white before I saw it but from the very first frame it just clicked. This movie needed to be in black and white for the pure starkness of the movie.
Joy Division is not a band that I have ever really gotten into other than loving Love Will Tear Us Apart for which I can vividly remember the film clip for. Seeing the movie though definitely made some of the songs click a bit more as to the context in which they were based. I will say it again, a really really great movie. Just so raw and powerful but still with the occasional laugh.

Pies, Pies, Pies

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Helen

on July 26, 2007

in TV and Movies and family

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Mum and I went to the see Waitress tonight as part of a 612ABC sneak preview for the upcoming BIFF (Brisbane International Film Festival). I am looking forward to BIFF as this year I am actually going to go to some of the movies been shown. I have highlighted I think 35 odd movies that I like the look of. However, as of next week I am getting an extra 8 hours a week at work, which I will enjoy for the money side of matters but since I do work at night it is going to cut into my planned BIFF time.

The waitress was a crack up of a movie, it was sad in parts but other parts just had you laughing and laughing and laughing. And gosh some of those pies that she made up just looked and sounded incredible. Kerri Russell was delightful and a much more developed actress than she was in the last movie I saw with her in Mad About Mambo. However it was the supporting cast that really made the movie for me. Joe the grumpy old man who owns the pie shop, Earl the husband who is not much of a husband, the two other waitresses Becky and Dawn, Ogie the guy who just doesn’t give up and so much more. It was a really great movie with just the right amount of quirk in it. I would like to make a couple of the pies mentioned in the movie and in particular the “Earl Murders Me Because I’m Having An Affair Pie” which as per Jenna’s commentary is “You smash blackberries and raspberries into a chocolate crust.” mmmmm.

The night was going so well until we tried to pay at the parking on our way. In short close to 45minutes and numerous phone calls later we managed to get out of the parking as the machines were extremely poorly designed and don’t like any coins that aren’t minty fresh. One guess who I am ringing in the morning to give a piece of my mind to.

Aunty turns 75

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Helen

on July 10, 2007

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This year the ABC turns 75 and what better way than a party at the riverstage with a sway of ABC personalities and entertainment for the kids (Bananas in Pajamas, Fireman Sam etc) and music and comedy for the big kids (The Boat People, Troy Cassar-Daly, Craig Reucassel from The Chaser, Scared Wierd Little Guys, Aunty Jack and Thin Arthur and The Great Debate).

I have mentioned before how much a large part of my life the the ABC has been both the radio, tv and now the internet. That is why there would be nothing holding me back from going along for the show. Was a really great day and a perfect 3rd concert for my 4 concerts in 4 days weekend.

First up on show were local lads The Boat People. I remember hearing a lot of these fellas back in the end of Highschool/early Uni when I was listening to 4ZZZ a fair bit. Since then I don’t think I have consciously listened to them. This meant that I was blown away quite nicely on Sunday arvo.

Scared Weird Little Guys
I have only been exposed to the Scaredies once before and that was on Music Tour in year 12 when Ms Jabs played the Macadamia EP on the bus and we were all curled up our seats doing the actions. It was a funny event. With their matching suits, mis-matching heights and some rather topical lyrics they proved a hit with all members of the audience. At one stage they were siniging three songs between them (Summer Nights, Louie Louie and X) whilst the crowd sung Wild Thing (all four songs have the same basic chords in them)

Aunty Jack and Thin Arthur
I have heard a lot about The Aunty Jack show over the years but this was my first exposure and they were pretty funny.

Craig Reucassel from The Chaser
Of The Chaser guys, Chas takes out first place for my favourite and Craig is a close second. Having him up to muse out the next 75 years of the ABC/Australia and what is happening currently was rather funny. His prediction is that in 75 years time John Howard will still be PM and Maxine McKew will be opposition leader (which thinking about now is rather flawed sine Maxine is running against Howard for the seat of Bennelong). To finish off his segment he picked out people in the audience with Andrew Hansen hair, the crowd then voted for the person who had the most Andrew Hansesn like hair (read weird) and they had to sing a closing song for the segment. The girl who won though by her own admission had a few drinks under the belt and really should have thought more I thought about what words she lets out her mouth at such a day. Moving right along…

The Great Debate.
This was quite an event and a lot of fun. The question of the debate was “Are interviews more important than music?” in regards to radio. Heading the affirmative team was 612 ABC’s drive presenter Kelly Higgins-Devine with John from the Scaredies and Craig Reucassel from The Chaser. Heading the negative team was AM presenter Tony Eeastly with Rosie Beaton from Triple J/jTV and Rusty from the Scaredies. It was really amusing to listen and watch and at the end of the day the crowd decided that interviews were more important than music.

Troy Cassar-Daly
Troy is a bit of a legend in the Australian country music scene, everyone knows who he is and it was great to see him live for the first time. He really got the crowd going with lots of participation which was really good.

ABC Personalities.
These are just the ones that I grabbed photos of, there would have been scores more round the place.
Richard Fiedler, Peter Cundall, Madonna King, Andrew Lofthouse, Jenny Woodward, Steve Austin, Rosie Beaton, Peter Thompson.

Blue King Brown closed the show and they very much deserve their own post which will come in the next day or two.

You may prefer to view a slideshow of the photos which is available below or here.

Elliott Smith, TV and the Bowls Club

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Helen

on May 17, 2007

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At the moment I am listening to Confusion, a collection of unreleased live songs by Elliott Smith. It is a really great collection of his songs which have never been released and the sound quality is amazing. Pure Elliott. I hope to get the new album New Moon when I go to work on Saturday, I have listened to a few songs off it on various MP3 blogs and the album’s myspace and I am very much waiting to listen to the 2 CDs through.

I watched two really great TV shows in the past week (both on the ABC of course) , the first was Wildlife in a Warzone which looked at how wildlife numbers are coping in Sierra Leone as well a curious first trip home in fifteen years for the “host” Sanjayan Muttulingam. All in all very interesting, especially finding out that since the end of the civil war in 2002 personal ownership of guns has been banned in SL, which has had a secondary effect of reducing the number of protected animals that were been hunted. The other was of course Bastard Boys, a dramatised telling of the 1998 waterfront dispute, I felt that it was really well put together and can see it picking up a few awards this year. Of course it caused a lot of debate round the net, in the papers, on the radio etc as to if it was Howard Bashing and free advertising for Labor or using it as an example of the bias in the ABC it went on and on.

I went for a walk to Aldi today and took this photo on the way there. It is the Chermside Bowls Club that is just round the corner from our house and in a couple of week we are having a barefoot bowls day there for work, which will be heaps of fun

Ordinary day, just like any

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Helen

on March 25, 2007

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Mum is up at IBISCA this weekend having fun looking after a group of high school kids who were awarded bursaries to attend for the weekend. The house as a result has been quiet. Yesterday I worked all day and then went out to a local pub with a bunch of people at work to celebrate two of the girls turning 40. That was the first time I had gone out with people from work since most of the “old school” night fill people had left, it was a very different scene mainly in the reversing of the gender ratios, going from two or three girls and a heap of guys to a heap of girls and two or three guys.

Went out for a long bike ride this morning which was really good, it has been a while since I have gone on a long ride. I went out a bit later than I had planned to. I had planned on getting up at 6am and heading out but I didn’t get out of bed till 7ish and got out the (garage) door close to 8. I was dead tired from having a late night last night but it was a case of well if I don’t go I will never go and then I would be a slacker. Which is not something I want to be.

I made biscuits this arvo between watching a tape of Rockwiz from last night (I like Spicks and Specks for the comedy but as a music quiz show Rockwiz is way cooler). Deni Hines was a crack up! Before tea, I made a batch of mixed berry muffins which will be frozen and taken out one at time when in need of something for morning tea at work or a snack on the run.

It is stock take this week at work which means instead of only getting up one morning at 4:18 to start at 5am, I will be doing it twice maybe three times since I can’t remember my roster. I have nothing against starting work at 5am, the store is quiet with everyone hard at work and customer free till we open at 8am. The issue I have a problem with is the sun and when it decides to get out of bed. There are 52 weeks in the year and only 9 or so of those weeks does the sun decide to rise above the horizon before or as I start pedalling my bike to work. Riding to work in the dark whilst that does not worry me, it can be rather depressing when you are cycling to work and not even the birds have started their morning singing.

I picked up the recent Po’Girl CD yesterday on my lunch break. Po’Girl were one of those cool bands that I discovered at Woodford. I am really impressed with the CD, I have listened to it through a couple of times and I’m happy. Hearing those clarinet strains and those harmonies takes me right back to Woodford. sigh, Those were the days my friends lol.