Wednesday, March 31, 2010

moronic - but in the nicest possible way!

Saw my favourite show of the Comedy Festival (so far) tonight - "Felicity Ward reads from the book of moron".

Felicity now has the distinction of being the first solo performer that I've paid to see in two successive festivals. She's very witty, and has great comedic presence, and her show tonight did not disappoint. Clearly, a lot of thought had gone into both the preparation and the presentation of her material. The segment about her struggles with IBS was hilarious, as was her Nando's audience meter!

And speaking of audience - the room tonight appeared to be around 3/4 full, the best I've seen so far this year.

To top it all off, she graciously stood by the exit and gave out copies of a booklet based on her show at the end of the performance, giving the audience an opportunity to get up close and have a quick word... and pretty much guaranteeing that I'll be back to see her again at next year's Festival.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

a full Monty

So it's the first Tightarse Tuesday of this year's Comedy Festival, and I had to work a bit late anyway... I was heading down Little Collins St to catch a tram home, when the chalkboard outside the Victoria Hotel caught my eye. In all my life, I had never before been inside the Victoria, so, noting that there were a couple of performances starting there in only half an hour, I decided to stop, buy a ticket, and check out the grand old hotel at the same time.

The first thing I discovered was - watch out for those sliding glass doors! They just don't go where you expect them. Each time I entered or left the building, I found myself standing in front of a pane of glass while the door slid across to one side of me!

By the time I climbed the elegant, if a little shabby, staircase at the rear of the lobby, towards the ticket office, I had decided that I would get a ticket for "The Full Monty", featuring Monty Franklin from nearby St Kilda - almost a neighbour, really.

For the second time in a row, I was the first customer in the room, and as I took a seat, I could sense maybe around 9 or 10 other people around me. Not again!

Starting time came and went, and a few minutes later, a small 'crowd' of latecomers entered, enough to half-fill the room! This actually made it, on a percentage basis, the biggest crowd of the three shows that I've attended so far! After they had been seated, the show began.

I knew nothing of Monty before the performance, but a lot more after it.

He has appeared on tv in commercials and in bit parts in several shows, including the unsuccessful pilot of a comedy show, of which he screened several excerpts (which were amusing, but enough to explain why the show hadn't been picked up by the network!) He performed an entertaining and generally inoffensive stand-up routine, prompting a few big laughs from me and the rest of the audience, and leaving me happy to have caught his act.

The Victoria itself was sensational - according to clippings posted in the foyer, it was built in the mid-1930s - and it shows a touch of art deco about its interior, but it clearly hasn't had any serious structural upgrades in the intervening years. Entering the lobby felt like walking into a 1930s movie (except for those sliding doors!) I'll be looking for another show back there again soon!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

go 'Pieeeeees!

Welcome back to the footy, and huge congrats to Collingwood on their massive start-of-the-season win over the Bulldogs today.

Prior to the game, I really didn't think they could do it; the Bulldogs are so highly fancied this year that I was anticipating an embarrassing start to the season, and I tipped the 'Pies with absolutely no confidence whatsoever.

Is it too early yet to start getting my hopes up for September??

mark webber who?

I don't know anything about Mark Webber, but I do know how much I love it when expatriates come back for a visit and decide to tell us all about how much worse the country is since they left!

When exactly did you become the expert on social issues in Australia, Mark? While you were o/s? Perhaps you can just head back overseas and continue to make whatever valuable contribution you make to... what is it you do exactly? World peace? Eradication of poverty? Saving the world from climate change?? And leave us to wallow in our own mistakes, without the benefit of your enormous intellect. Thanks, again, Mark.

Friday, March 26, 2010

coffee and a nice chat

I dragged myself towards work as usual this morning, feeling particularly weary and heavy-headed, and, when I got off the tram at Collins St, I walked back to Brunetti's and decided to order a drink-in coffee for a change (instead of a take-away).

When it became apparent that the morning newspapers hadn't arrived yet, I settled down in a seat and got out one of my Paris travel guide books, to continue my research for my forthcoming holiday.

As I finished the first page, an unfamiliar voice at the next table asked "When are you going?"

I looked up at the guy and told him that I was heading off in about two months' time, whereupon he offered me some tips on places to visit in Paris, and we struck up a conversation on the subject, as he had lived there for some time, and was keen to go back again. We didn't chat for long... maybe less than ten minutes... but I enjoyed our discussion and was very grateful to him for having taken the time to enquire and offer me some advice for the trip.

It brightened my morning considerably, cleared the cobwebs, and got my day off to a good start, so ... merci beaucoup!

where the bloody hell...?

OK, I said I was inspired by last night's Comedy Festival performance by Peter Helliar, so after work today, I dropped by HalfTix and found a short (45-minute) performance by an artist that I'd never heard of, at the Town Hall, starting at 6pm, so I still had time to rush home afterwards and get the groceries that I hadn't managed to find time for last night!

The show was mysteriously titled Her Lady Bones, by British comedian Sadie Hasler. I didn't know what that title meant before the show, and I still don't know now.

Sadie's show consisted of a series of character sketches, featuring several of (I assume) her own creations, plus a wonderful Katherine Hepburn impression, that had the audience in stitches. For a newcomer, she was very good.

She also impressed me greatly by the fact that she proceeded with her show at all, despite the fact that there were only six of us in the audience!

I couldn't believe how poorly attended Peter Heliar's show was last night, but this was unbelievable. I was the first one in the room, and, based on experience in previous years, I took a seat at the very far end of the row so as to make it easier for everyone else to get in afterwards. It soon became apparent that there wasn't going to be an 'everyone else', and I moved to the middle of the row when I realised that I had it all to myself!

I would not have blamed Sadie for saving her energy and calling off the show, with so few spectators, and I thought that she was very brave to proceed, given that no matter how much she made us laugh, the sound of six people's laughter and applause in even a small theatre is not a lot of encouragement.

Anyway, she put on a good show, especially her Kate Hepburn, and I hope she gets better audiences for the rest of her season. I, for one, look forward to seeing her back at future Comedy Festivals.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

to Helliar and back

... As if there wasn't enough going on in Melbourne this week (the French Film Festival, the Flower & Garden Show, the return of real (AFL) footy tonight (Go 'Piesss!) and the Grand Prix (boo, hiss), the Melbourne International Comedy Festival commenced, a week ahead of its traditional starting date of April Fool's Day.

I wasn't really fussed about going out again tonight, but there is an imperative with the Comedy Festival - most shows run cheaper, 'preview' sessions in the first few days, so I always try to catch something early on.

So after work, I wandered down to the box office at the Regent, and booked a ticket to see Peter Helliar's show at the Forum. I like Helliar, but I've never bothered to see him 'live' before... probably because he's been on tv so much that I didn't consider him as much of a priority as many of the other comedians who aren't so ubiquitous on the tube.

I was glad I went. I enjoyed his performance, and got some good laughs from most of his material, but I was surprised at how small the audience was! I'd estimate the theatre was barely one-third full; very surprising for such a big name performer. Traffic delays held many people up (one couple arrived about 15 minutes before the show ended!), but even so, it was a very small audience. Good for me though... I was only six rows from the front, on an aisle; the seats in front of me in the three rows ahead were empty, as were the next 4 seats next to me, so I was able to make myself quite comfortable - a huge change from the generally cramped conditions at this Festival.

One other thing surprised me - the show was called 'Peter Helliar's Dreamboat Tour' - and he dressed in a Love Boat-style Captain's jacket - but there was no reference at all to boats or cruises or anything related to that theme. Maybe I missed something! Anyway, it was a good performance, and highly recommended.

And now I'm enthused enough to want to see another show tomorrow night...!

fabulous flower fiesta flourishes

Wednesday was day one for this year's Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, and the only day that I was going to be able to squeeze in time to visit. As always, it was sensational - makes me wish that I still owned a garden, so that I could get out, raze it to the ground, and rebuild it with the inspiration that the Garden Show provides.

The floral displays inside the magnificent Exhibition Buildings were all stunning; I spent most of my time covering every square metre of the two floors, which feature more things to do with flowers and greenery than I ever dreamed possible (or would even want to try, in many cases!) Highlights for me were the rose displays, table setting designs, the new nursery section, and the... ummm... floral bordello! Outdoors, the garden designs were fantastic; only the garden art section was a bit of a letdown compared to last year, but that's a tiny complaint compared to all the wonderful sights at this Show.

The visit to the Flower Show almost marks a year of blogging for me... I seem to recall that my very first post here was about my visit to the 2009 Flower Show... although it was in early April last year. How time flies.

fabulous french film festival finale

Dunno why, but the French Film Festival was extended by 3 days this year, so I got to see another movie at the Kino on Tuesday night - LoL (That's the name of the film, not a comment!) The story wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it very much all the same, especially the beautiful Sophie Marceau! This one gets 3&1/2 stars from me; a fine way to wrap a very enjoyable Festival (and I sure hope I get to see how Fashion Victim ends some day!!)

pourquoi PAS de sous-titres??

I was so impressed by the movie Micmacs at the French Film Festival that I decided to buy a copy on blu ray to see again.

As usual, Amazon.fr was *exceptionally* efficient, and I received my disk barely 8 days after ordering. But to my horror, it's yet another wonderful French movie transferred to disk with NO ENGLISH SUB-TITLES! aaaarrgghhhhh!!!

What's wrong with French dvd companies?? Don't virtually ALL English language movies come out with French sub-titles? Why don't the French think that English-speakers aren't interested in their movies? There are so many excellent French films that I'd like to see, but the majority of them aren't released with English sub-titles, so it's not worthwhile ordering them. I'm doing my best to master a bit if French, but I don't think I'll get good enough to watch a movie without textual help.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

precious experience

I did NOT want to see Precious.

Yeah, I saw and read the great reviews, and all the praise for the performances of the cast, and the Oscar nominations, but I also heard about how it was a depressing and miserable story, and I just did not want to experience that.

With the movie in its last days at the cinemas, I was convinced to go along to the George and see the only session showing today. Up until I bought the tickets (reluctantly), I was trying to think of a way out of it, but finally, I accepted the inevitable and sat down to see this urban horror story.

The session ended two hours later. I was SO glad that I hadn't found a way out of seeing it. It was one of the best films that I've seen in recent months. The story was as harrowing as I expected, but the movie was so well made, and the performances so fine, that I found myself completely carried into the world of Precious, her trials and suffering, and her incredible strength and dignity. Lead actor Gabourey Sidibe was perfect as Precious, and I hope to see her in other movies in the future.

This was a real 4-star effort, and will make me think twice about writing off a movie before I see it in future.

(OK, unless it's Pursuit of Happyness - yuk!!!)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

micmacs

The French Film Festival rolls on! And just as well, 'coz there's not much of interest coming out of Hollywood at the moment. In fact, of the 12 movies that I've seen so far in 2010, half have been 'foreign' - five French and one Australian! :-)

Tonight's feature at the Como was 'Micmacs A Tire-larigot', an almost untranslatable title in French slang which means something like 'Loads of trouble'. It's Dany Boon's latest flick, and it's visually one of the best movies I've seen for a long time. It's a comedy - fantasy - caper flick, with a fairly convoluted plot in which Boon's character plots to take revenge on the presidents of two armaments companies, whose products killed his father, and years later, severely injured him as well.

While the story is a bit over the top, the film soars on the strength of its brilliant photography and scenery, wonderful characters and amazing mechanical creativity(!)

I'd happily experience this one again, though sadly, the French dvd release once again doesn't have English sub-titles. I'm really going to have start taking French lessons some time. Anyway, this movie gets 4 stars from me - catch it with sub-titles if you can!

one perfect day

I love Melbourne most of the time, but for a week or so every year, it's even better then usual. That week usually falls in early to mid-March, when we get a period of perfect Autumn weather that makes everything in the city more wonderful than ever. It's happening now; started yesterday, Saturday 13th, and by the looks of the forecast, will last through next Friday 19th, at least.

I got up on Saturday with no particular plans, but just had to get out of the flat to enjoy the day. I caught the #220 bus and headed towards the city... but where to get off? I wanted to do something outdoors. I thought about South Wharf, but I knew I'd only end up indoors at DFO, and I had no reason to go there. I thought about the CBD, but that would invariably mean a stroll through the department stores and lanes, out of the sun. I could have stopped at Prahran Market, but I wanted to do more than just get the groceries. South Melbourne market? nah. St Kilda? Still too crowded on the weekends. By this time, the bus was heading down St Kilda Road, and I still had no particular destination in mind. As the bus zoomed past the Domain interchange, someone pulled the cord to get out. Done! I got out too. But where was I going?

Across St Kilda Road, the Shrine of Remembrance loomed in the bright sunshine. It had been years since I last visited the Shrine, so maybe this would be a good starting point. I crossed the road and climbed the hill. That should have been enough exercise for the day! Surprisingly, there were very few people at the Shrine, so I got to take some nice photos without the usual crowd of tourists in the picture.

I then decided to head for the Botanic Gardens to grab a coffee and stroll across and pick up a no. 8 tram in Domain Rd, but a few surprises awaited!

At the entrance, bright tents were set up. I had stumbled across the monthly Botanic Gardens craft market! I never even knew it existed, but what a perfect day for it! I strolled around the stalls, picked up a coffee, and took in the sights - all dominated by the Shrine in the background.

Completing the tour of the market, I headed past the Visitor Centre, only to find it completely and indefinitely closed down as a result of storm damage from the previous weekend!

As I entered the Gardens proper, I couldn't help buy notice cranes poking above the treetops. I soon realised that they belonged to the new Rectangular Stadium, nearing completion across the Yarra. I'd been wanting to get a photo of the Stadium for some time, but hadn't had an opportunity, so I changed direction and headed towards the Temple of Winds to see if I could get a view of the Stadium.

It was still only possible to see the top of the Stadium from the Temple, so I walked down the steps from the Temple, crossed the Tan, and got a shot or two from across the river. I walked back past the lake, and stopped to sit in the sun for a while. Not for long... just long enough for my pallid complexion to start to burn in the deceptively strong Autumn sun :-S

I retraced my steps to the Shrine, and decided that I needed to climb to the top to grab some photos. It had really been many years since I had been up there, and it was perfect day for taking in the scenery. I got some great shots, in perfect conditions. And still had time to get home in time for a lunch date.

If only more days could be as pleasant as this.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

storm victim

Saturday the 6th March started out a beautiful day; fine and sunny, a little on the humid side, but glorious.

After a sleep-in, we headed into the city for coffee and crepes (gluten-free, of course) outdoors at the Le Triskel, then on to the Kino to buy tickets for the afternoon showing of Rose et Noir (aka Fashion Victim) at the French Film Festival.

The session started at 1:45; the sun was shining and it was a balmy 26 degrees - really, too nice a day to spend in a dark cinema, but there are few screenings of any given movie during the Festival, so you just have to go when the session is on if you want to see a particular film.

Rose et Noir was a beautifully-produced period farce, set in 17th century France and Spain, about a very flamboyant dress-designer and his troupe who are sent to Inquisition-era Spain at the order of the King of France to make a wedding dress to help seal a marriage of state. What the designer doesn't know is that one of his entourage is secretly Jewish, another Muslim, and another, a Protestant planning to plant a bomb to blow up their hosts!

The story was building up nicely, until, about an hour in, just before 3pm, the film suddenly lurched to a halt and began to burn up! Oh mon dieu, not again! This is what happened when I went to see Julie and Julia at the Classic not six months ago!

As the house lights came up, a stressed cinema guy announced that a severe hailstorm had knocked out the building's air conditioning, causing the film to burn. They would try to get the film to resume in the next 10-15 minutes.

So we sat and waited, and then, about 15 minutes later, the cinema guy returned to tell us that the movie could not be saved, and that we would all need to get refunds and leave.

Disappointed, and none the wiser about what had happened outside the cinema, we queued for our refunds, and left the building at around 3:30pm. When we approached the exit, it felt as though we'd been transported to another place!

The sunny, balmy afternoon that we had left two hours earlier had been replaced by a scene of stormy carnage! The sky was leaden, water literally lapped at the entrance to the building as the floor flooded, the streets were littered with leaves that had been stripped from the trees by what we were later to learn were giant hailstones (such as the ones that had also killed our movie), rain poured from the sky in a way that I hadn't experienced in many years. The change in conditions was stunning!

Not yet comprehending the extent of the storm's fury, we headed for our tram in Swanston St, soaked to the skin within the first 50 metres of our journey (no coats or brollies, of course - it had been a gorgeous day when we left home!)

At Swanston St, it became clear that we would never get aboard the few trams that were managing to make their way down the flooded street, so we decided to head towards Flinders St station. It soon became clear, from the size of the sodden crowds teeming down the Swanston St away from the station, that there would be no trains to catch at Flinders St.

We continued walking across Princes Bridge, past traffic jammed in between flooded streets, in the hope of finding a bus further down the road.

To our delight, we instead found that trams that had made it this far into the city were turning back at the Arts Centre, which meant that we were able to hop on board a #64 and commence the trip home. Just as well, as the corner of St Kilda Road alongside the NGV, from the where the bus comes, was under water, and the buses would likely have been jammed in with the rest of the traffic.

As we travelled cautiously along St Kilda Road, we could see cars trapped in flood water, thick hail piled up in the gardens and gutters, steam rising like fog from the Domain, where the ground was apparently still warm from the afternoon sun. It was an amazing experience.

We finally arrived home around 5pm; one-and-a-half hours for what would usually have been a 40-minute journey, but we were grateful to have made it safely.

I'd of course left a couple of windows of the flat open in the morning to get the air in while we were out, so there was some minor flooding in the kitchen and bathroom where the rain had been blown in, but no major damage.

Except that we didn't get to see the end of Rose et Noir... and who knows when we ever will!