the diving bell and the butterfly

the first exposure to this film was by way of a flier
closely followed by an expose of the director in the smh
and then finally a viewing of the trailer at another film viewing
everything pointed to this being one very special film
and the big thing in it's favour - le scaphandre et le papillon
it's french though the director is american julian schnabel
he apparantly wanted authenticity and insisted on keeping it in french
which i find totally admirable as translation i think can mean degrading
this is a true story based on an autobiography by a stroke victim
jean-dominique bauby is a 43 year-old successful magazine editor
he suffers a totally unexpected stroke leading to locked-in syndrome
meaning he has lost all movement of his body but his brain is fully alert
this he describes as the feeling of being locked in a diving bell
while his mind is free to wander like a butterfly
the film opens with him coming out of a coma after the stroke
but we see things from his view - behind his one eye that can blink
nurses and doctors come and go including one armed with needle and thread
who proceeds to stitch up his other infected eye with us behind it
truely one of the most skin-crawling film scenes i have witnessed
which also has the effect of locking us right in with bauby
and from there it's a roller-coaster ride of his emotions
luckily he actually possesses a wicked sense of humour
so there are some hilarious moments as we hear what he is thinking
but cannot relay his thoughts to various visitors and medical staff
there's a middle part of the film showing his life pre-stroke
including a journey to the country to spend time with his estranged children
and then showing him suffering the stroke while driving with his son
his gorgeous ex-wife still loves the man and is a constant visitor
takes a call from his lover and has to relay to her his feelings
that is that he waits every day for her to visit him
which i thought was almost unbearably cruel on his part
the film takes us through his effort to write his memoirs
blink by blink, letter by letter, word by word
and then he tragically dies a few days after publication
i walked out of the theatre with nothing else on my mind
including the location of my wallet and phone
which i discovered missing when paying for my meal
uh-oh back to the theatre and waved in to search the floor
just as the film was re-starting for the next session
thought i would sit down for a bit while the eyes adjusted
90 minutes later i walked out again armed with wallet and phone
and this time feeling much more content about his actions
for if you cannot express your true feelings on your death-bed
then what hope do we have of honesty any other time
just the most amazing film
see it - twice

triathlon penrith

another very early start to this day to tag along for a ride
this time out to the olympic rowing centre at penrith
venue for the 2008 state all-schools triathlon championships
team brown on the road again - athlete, father, god-father
weather - gloomy, excitement - high, expectations - reserved
a top 6 finish in elliot's race guarantees a place at the nationals
so the strategy is plotted, discussed and agreed upon
don't burn out going for the win - hang in for a place
this venue is absolutely first class for such an event
the swim in one direction along the rowing course
the bike ride around a purpose-built track
not unlike a car-racing track with excellent vantage points
the run on the opposite of the lake to the stadium
but able to be viewed almost entirely from a distance
with the finishing line back in front of the stadium
elliot had a good swim leading from start to finish
after transition he was back in second place
arch-rival and arch-friend sam appleton out in front
rain starting to fall so making for a very slippery ride
elliot very carefully riding and pacing himself
it's not unusual for riders to come down even in the dry
so the all-important top-6 finish the object of this exercise
by the end of the bike leg elliot was back to 3rd position
and about a minute off the pace but looking good
we sat in the stand avoiding the rain now settling in
watched the run proceed back and forth on the other side
and noticed something starting to happen
against all the expectation elliot started reeling them in
including number 2 at this stage with a known very fast run
the on-course commentator picked up this too
and before long there was a real buzz in the grandstand
as they came back over the bridge heading for home
we decided to get trackside for the home straight
father to give the last word of encouragement
me to hopefully snap a photo of the big moment
as they entered the final straight and hard rain
elliot was just off sam appleton's shoulder (photo)
which meant he had made up a minute on the run
an incredible achievement by anyone's standard
then the sprint for the line was on
5 metres out they're dead even
2 metres out and appleton flags
elliot brown has the final kick
and takes first place
just unbelievable
like this sport!

joy division

the film with the same name as the late 70's group
and a documentary tracing the rise and demise of the band
another film titled control has also been on the big screen
it being a full-scale bio-pic with actors filling the parts well
even down to them performing their most recognisable tunes
i actually enjoyed control a lot and had me yearning for more
i will buy the re-mastered cd's in due course i am sure
but for now joy division the documentary is on show
and so on a bleak sunday afternoon off i went to the chauvel
same old story - a handful of people in the theatre
maybe everyone else had already seen the film
or maybe they are not drawn to this serious documentary
in a lot of ways it parallels the control film
with an opening that also describes 1970's manchester
housing estates, decay, the concrete jungle, bleak weather
and lads passing time by drinking or indulging in music
in control a large part of the film was about a torn ian curtis
between his love of his wife and child and his lover from belgium
which does all but suggest this is the makings of love will tear us apart
in joy division the documentary his wife hardly rates a mention
and annik honore his lover has a brief moment on screen
talking about and seemingly still affected by ian curtis and his death
the 3 remaining members of the band are interviewed at length
interspersed with amazing footage of the band on stage
the volume in the theatre cranked up for maximum effect
grant gee the director seems to have had a clear vision
make this film totally authentic and let the music breathe
so that we don't need to be told how good it is
what we don't know too much of is of the personalities involved
bernard sumner comes across as a totally decent person and friend
despairing that back then they just had no idea of their singer's illness
stephen morris is obviously a very shy and gentle man
proving his skills are not oratory but thrashing at a drumkit
but the one that i was really surprised at was peter hook
for whatever reason i always saw him as the reclusive, serious type
but not so - he's a laugh a minute regaling anecdotes of days gone by
including an unbelievable story of him sitting down to sunday lunch with iris
taking the call announcing the death of his singer and presumed friend
then continues with lunch as though nothing has happened
and now laughing uncontrollably about his reaction
i might have missed something but it seemed a bit odd
there are various other interviews with managers, friends and fans
but all brief, to the point and well spaced with the music
there is also a great expose of the album artwork
i walked out of the theatre quite absorbed
felt i'd seen a much more intense film
and still determined to get some cd's
joy division the movie - must see
(if you like the music)

triathlon huskisson

ok - the photography skills need work - i blame the camera (ahem)
but i think the scene of occasion has been captured quite well
this is up-and-coming triathlon star (and godson) elliot brown at work
competing in an event at huskisson on the south coast of nsw
myself, his father and elliot headed out of sydney at 5 a.m.
all quite pleasant cruising out of sydney at dawn
though still a lot of traffic and people about at that time
spotted quite a few obviously on their way home
mixing it with their opposites as fitness freaks struck out
a quick escape combining the cross-city tunnel and m4
meant we were travelling south past wollongong in no time
as per the plan we arrived at huskisson around 7 o'clock
the place was already buzzing for this big annual event
competitors, support staff, families, fans everywhere
i've not attended a lot of sports events in my time
so for me it was quite a new and interesting experience
this actual event is quite big on the triathlon calender
an event running all weekend with many different races
there was also the promise of some big names competing
so good for competitors and observers alike
the race we were most interested in was due to start at 10am
so a few hours to kill waiting for that time to roll around
time spent indulging in breakfast and fresh-brewed coffee
and without knowing letting the excitement build for the race
huskisson itself is a pretty little town with a great beach
and it is from there that the race starts with the first leg
a 400 metre swim out to some buoys and back again
hard to tell one competitor from another in the ocean
then it's a scramble out of the surf and a clamber up the hill
transition on to the bikes and 5 laps of a street course
our man came out of the swim well and was not far off the pack
bearing in mind this is an open age event he was doing very well
then 10km later it's another transition for the run leg
a 2.5 km run at at a very fast almost sprint pace
i'm exhausted just watching the athletes at work
and dashing from one good vantage point to the next
then by an unusual but special arrangement at this event
they do the whole thing all over again - swim/bike/run
i think it's called an enduro - i.e. the test of endurance
elliot brown has that by the spades and does very well
comes in 6th in the under-23 age group
which is brilliant for a 16 year old
stay tuned

the reluctant friends of steve

up in the mountains...up near the border
well not quite but not drowning, waving is in the head
part of my nomadic lifestyle at this time finds me in the blue mountains
staying with a friend and his partner in their house at faulconbridge
lovely part of the world really - clear air, bush, quiet, easy-going
have done quite a bit of walking in and around the area
to my surprise have seen the extent of established housing in the area
lots of tree lined streets with large properties and houses
heading off in all directions on the side of hills and cliffs
all well serviced by local facilities e.g. an aquatic centre
and in this case a great little town (springwood)
it's a bit off the beaten track - the blue mountains highway
so you're only there on a mission for supplies or socialising
in this case on this saturday night i was there for the later
my friend also plays drums in a band based in the mountains
and so this was a great opportunity to see the band perform at the local
they have a good local following so a respectable crowd was in place
as i walked in with the band playing the first of 4 sets
which in itself is very impressive - they do all originals
so there are a huge number of songs to be played
the band is based around steve - singer/guitarist/songwriter
and has a further guitarist, singer, bass-player and drummer
you can always tell a band that is very well-rehearsed
and this band is that as well as great musicians
even more so an often missing element was on stage
fun - enjoyment of the moment - play for pleasure
all this helped the band deliver 4 great sets of music
i stayed propped up at the bar till the end
mostly taking in the music and enjoying it very much
a very distinctive blues/pop/rock feel to the music
vocal harmonies a standout from the 2 lads up front
the lead guitarist at back supplying some excellent noises
drum and bass solid as you would want in the rhythm department
so all in all a very well balanced band with good original material
a guest harp (mouth accordian) player on stage for a few tunes
letting it rip with some fine noise-making there
and imploring the crowd down front to join in
including a lady (girlfriend) in the excitement of the moment
stripping to her waist to provide a spontaneous floor show
all done and taken in great humour and style
there was something about the atmosphere on this night
presumably the easy-going lifestyle in the mountains
found it's way into the bar that night
and made for a most pleasurable time
on a sad note...
this hotel is intent on booking original bands
but it seems popular opinion may be against them
hope not - nothing quite like this
good live original music
thanks to the rels

sorry day

nothing more important today than the following wonderful speech from kevin rudd, prime minister of australia -

There comes a time in the history of nations when their peoples must become fully reconciled to their past if they are to go forward with confidence to embrace their future. Our nation, Australia, has reached such a time. That is why the parliament is today here assembled: to deal with this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation’s soul and, in a true spirit of reconciliation, to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia.

Last year I made a commitment to the Australian people that if we formed the next government of the Commonwealth we would in parliament say sorry to the stolen generations. Today I honour that commitment. I said we would do so early in the life of the new parliament. Again, today I honour that commitment by doing so at the commencement of this the 42nd parliament of the Commonwealth. Because the time has come, well and truly come, for all peoples of our great country, for all citizens of our great Commonwealth, for all Australians—those who are Indigenous and those who are not—to come together to reconcile and together build a new future for our nation.

Some have asked, ‘Why apologise?’ Let me begin to answer by telling the parliament just a little of one person’s story—an elegant, eloquent and wonderful woman in her 80s, full of life, full of funny stories, despite what has happened in her life’s journey, a woman who has travelled a long way to be with us today, a member of the stolen generation who shared some of her story with me when I called around to see her just a few days ago. Nanna Nungala Fejo, as she prefers to be called, was born in the late 1920s. She remembers her earliest childhood days living with her family and her community in a bush camp just outside Tennant Creek. She remembers the love and the warmth and the kinship of those days long ago, including traditional dancing around the camp fire at night. She loved the dancing. She remembers once getting into strife when, as a four-year-old girl, she insisted on dancing with the male tribal elders rather than just sitting and watching the men, as the girls were supposed to do.

But then, sometime around 1932, when she was about four, she remembers the coming of the welfare men. Her family had feared that day and had dug holes in the creek bank where the children could run and hide. What they had not expected was that the white welfare men did not come alone. They brought a truck, two white men and an Aboriginal stockman on horseback cracking his stockwhip. The kids were found; they ran for their mothers, screaming, but they could not get away. They were herded and piled onto the back of the truck. Tears flowing, her mum tried clinging to the sides of the truck as her children were taken away to the Bungalow in Alice, all in the name of protection...

A few years later, government policy changed. Now the children would be handed over to the missions to be cared for by the churches. But which church would care for them? The kids were simply told to line up in three lines. Nanna Fejo and her sister stood in the middle line, her older brother and cousin on her left. Those on the left were told that they had become Catholics, those in the middle Methodists and those on the right Church of England. That is how the complex questions of post-reformation theology were resolved in the Australian outback in the 1930s. It was as crude as that. She and her sister were sent to a Methodist mission on Goulburn Island and then Croker Island. Her Catholic brother was sent to work at a cattle station and her cousin to a Catholic mission.

Nanna Fejo’s family had been broken up for a second time. She stayed at the mission until after the war, when she was allowed to leave for a prearranged job as a domestic in Darwin. She was 16. Nanna Fejo never saw her mum again. After she left the mission, her brother let her know that her mum had died years before, a broken woman fretting for the children that had literally been ripped away from her.
I asked Nanna Fejo what she would have me say today about her story. She thought for a few moments then said that what I should say today was that all mothers are important. And she added: ‘Families—keeping them together is very important. It’s a good thing that you are surrounded by love and that love is passed down the generations. That’s what gives you happiness.’ As I left, later on, Nanna Fejo took one of my staff aside, wanting to make sure that I was not too hard on the Aboriginal stockman who had hunted those kids down all those years ago. The stockman had found her again decades later, this time himself to say, ‘Sorry.’ And remarkably, extraordinarily, she had forgiven him.

Nanna Fejo’s is just one story. There are thousands, tens of thousands of them: stories of forced separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their mums and dads over the better part of a century. Some of these stories are graphically told in Bringing them home, the report commissioned in 1995 by Prime Minister Keating and received in 1997 by Prime Minister Howard. There is something terribly primal about these firsthand accounts. The pain is searing; it screams from the pages. The hurt, the humiliation, the degradation and the sheer brutality of the act of physically separating a mother from her children is a deep assault on our senses and on our most elemental humanity.

These stories cry out to be heard; they cry out for an apology. Instead, from the nation’s parliament there has been a stony, stubborn and deafening silence for more than a decade; a view that somehow we, the parliament, should suspend our most basic instincts of what is right and what is wrong; a view that, instead, we should look for any pretext to push this great wrong to one side, to leave it languishing with the historians, the academics and the cultural warriors, as if the stolen generations are little more than an interesting sociological phenomenon. But the stolen generations are not intellectual curiosities. They are human beings, human beings who have been damaged deeply by the decisions of parliaments and governments. But, as of today, the time for denial, the time for delay, has at last come to an end.

The nation is demanding of its political leadership to take us forward. Decency, human decency, universal human decency, demands that the nation now step forward to right an historical wrong. That is what we are doing in this place today. But should there still be doubts as to why we must now act, let the parliament reflect for a moment on the following facts: that, between 1910 and 1970, between 10 and 30 per cent of Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their mothers and fathers; that, as a result, up to 50,000 children were forcibly taken from their families; that this was the product of the deliberate, calculated policies of the state as reflected in the explicit powers given to them under statute; that this policy was taken to such extremes by some in administrative authority that the forced extractions of children of so-called ‘mixed lineage’ were seen as part of a broader policy of dealing with ‘the problem of the Aboriginal population’.

One of the most notorious examples of this approach was from the Northern Territory Protector of Natives, who stated:

Generally by the fifth and invariably by the sixth generation, all native characteristics of the Australian aborigine are eradicated.

The problem of our half-castes, to quote the protector—

will quickly be eliminated by the complete disappearance of the black race, and the swift submergence of their progeny in the white...

The Western Australian Protector of Natives expressed not dissimilar views, expounding them at length in Canberra in 1937 at the first national conference on Indigenous affairs that brought together the Commonwealth and state protectors of natives. These are uncomfortable things to be brought out into the light. They are not pleasant. They are profoundly disturbing. But we must acknowledge these facts if we are to deal once and for all with the argument that the policy of generic forced separation was somehow well motivated, justified by its historical context and, as a result, unworthy of any apology today.

Then we come to the argument of intergenerational responsibility, also used by some to argue against giving an apology today. But let us remember the fact that the forced removal of Aboriginal children was happening as late as the early 1970s. The 1970s is not exactly a point in remote antiquity. There are still serving members of this parliament who were first elected to this place in the early 1970s. It is well within the adult memory span of many of us. The uncomfortable truth for us all is that the parliaments of the nation, individually and collectively, enacted statutes and delegated authority under those statutes that made the forced removal of children on racial grounds fully lawful.

There is a further reason for an apology as well: it is that reconciliation is in fact an expression of a core value of our nation—and that value is a fair go for all. There is a deep and abiding belief in the Australian community that, for the stolen generations, there was no fair go at all. There is a pretty basic Aussie belief that says that it is time to put right this most outrageous of wrongs. It is for these reasons, quite apart from concerns of fundamental human decency, that the governments and parliaments of this nation must make this apology—because, put simply, the laws that our parliaments enacted made the stolen generations possible.

We, the parliaments of the nation, are ultimately responsible, not those who gave effect to our laws. And the problem lay with the laws themselves. As has been said of settler societies elsewhere, we are the bearers of many blessings from our ancestors; therefore we must also be the bearer of their burdens as well. Therefore, for our nation, the course of action is clear: that is, to deal now with what has become one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s history. In doing so, we are doing more than contending with the facts, the evidence and the often rancorous public debate. In doing so, we are also wrestling with our own soul. This is not, as some would argue, a black-armband view of history; it is just the truth: the cold, confronting, uncomfortable truth—facing it, dealing with it, moving on from it.

Until we fully confront that truth, there will always be a shadow hanging over us and our future as a fully united and fully reconciled people. It is time to reconcile. It is time to recognise the injustices of the past. It is time to say sorry. It is time to move forward together.

To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification. We apologise for the hurt, the pain and suffering that we, the parliament, have caused you by the laws that previous parliaments have enacted. We apologise for the indignity, the degradation and the humiliation these laws embodied. We offer this apology to the mothers, the fathers, the brothers, the sisters, the families and the communities whose lives were ripped apart by the actions of successive governments under successive parliaments. In making this apology, I would also like to speak personally to the members of the stolen generations and their families: to those here today, so many of you; to those listening across the nation—from Yuendumu, in the central west of the Northern Territory, to Yabara, in North Queensland, and to Pitjantjatjara in South Australia.

I know that, in offering this apology on behalf of the government and the parliament, there is nothing I can say today that can take away the pain you have suffered personally. Whatever words I speak today, I cannot undo that. Words alone are not that powerful; grief is a very personal thing. I ask those non-Indigenous Australians listening today who may not fully understand why what we are doing is so important to imagine for a moment that this had happened to you. I say to honourable members here present: imagine if this had happened to us. Imagine the crippling effect. Imagine how hard it would be to forgive. My proposal is this: if the apology we extend today is accepted in the spirit of reconciliation, in which it is offered, we can today resolve together that there be a new beginning for Australia. And it is to such a new beginning that I believe the nation is now calling us.

Australians are a passionate lot. We are also a very practical lot. For us, symbolism is important but, unless the great symbolism of reconciliation is accompanied by an even greater substance, it is little more than a clanging gong. It is not sentiment that makes history; it is our actions that make history. Today’s apology, however inadequate, is aimed at righting past wrongs. It is also aimed at building a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians—a bridge based on a real respect rather than a thinly veiled contempt. Our challenge for the future is to cross that bridge and, in so doing, to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians—to embrace, as part of that partnership, expanded Link-up and other critical services to help the stolen generations to trace their families if at all possible and to provide dignity to their lives. But the core of this partnership for the future is to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities. This new partnership on closing the gap will set concrete targets for the future: within a decade to halve the widening gap in literacy, numeracy and employment outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous Australians, within a decade to halve the appalling gap in infant mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and, within a generation, to close the equally appalling 17-year life gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous in overall life expectancy.

The truth is: a business as usual approach towards Indigenous Australians is not working. Most old approaches are not working. We need a new beginning—a new beginning which contains real measures of policy success or policy failure; a new beginning, a new partnership, on closing the gap with sufficient flexibility not to insist on a one-size-fits-all approach for each of the hundreds of remote and regional Indigenous communities across the country but instead allowing flexible, tailored, local approaches to achieve commonly-agreed national objectives that lie at the core of our proposed new partnership; a new beginning that draws intelligently on the experiences of new policy settings across the nation. However, unless we as a parliament set a destination for the nation, we have no clear point to guide our policy, our programs or our purpose; we have no centralised organising principle.

Let us resolve today to begin with the little children—a fitting place to start on this day of apology for the stolen generations. Let us resolve over the next five years to have every Indigenous four-year-old in a remote Aboriginal community enrolled in and attending a proper early childhood education centre or opportunity and engaged in proper preliteracy and prenumeracy programs. Let us resolve to build new educational opportunities for these little ones, year by year, step by step, following the completion of their crucial preschool year. Let us resolve to use this systematic approach to build future educational opportunities for Indigenous children to provide proper primary and preventive health care for the same children, to begin the task of rolling back the obscenity that we find today in infant mortality rates in remote Indigenous communities—up to four times higher than in other communities.

None of this will be easy. Most of it will be hard—very hard. But none of it is impossible, and all of it is achievable with clear goals, clear thinking, and by placing an absolute premium on respect, cooperation and mutual responsibility as the guiding principles of this new partnership on closing the gap. The mood of the nation is for reconciliation now, between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The mood of the nation on Indigenous policy and politics is now very simple. The nation is calling on us, the politicians, to move beyond our infantile bickering, our point-scoring and our mindlessly partisan politics and to elevate this one core area of national responsibility to a rare position beyond the partisan divide. Surely this is the unfulfilled spirit of the 1967 referendum. Surely, at least from this day forward, we should give it a go.

Let me take this one step further and take what some may see as a piece of political posturing and make a practical proposal to the opposition on this day, the first full sitting day of the new parliament. I said before the election that the nation needed a kind of war cabinet on parts of Indigenous policy, because the challenges are too great and the consequences are too great to allow it all to become a political football, as it has been so often in the past. I therefore propose a joint policy commission, to be led by the Leader of the Opposition and me, with a mandate to develop and implement—to begin with—an effective housing strategy for remote communities over the next five years. It will be consistent with the government’s policy framework, a new partnership for closing the gap. If this commission operates well, I then propose that it work on the further task of constitutional recognition of the first Australians, consistent with the longstanding platform commitments of my party and the pre-election position of the opposition. This would probably be desirable in any event because, unless such a proposition were absolutely bipartisan, it would fail at a referendum. As I have said before, the time has come for new approaches to enduring problems. Working constructively together on such defined projects would, I believe, meet with the support of the nation. It is time for fresh ideas to fashion the nation’s future.

Mr Speaker, today the parliament has come together to right a great wrong. We have come together to deal with the past so that we might fully embrace the future. We have had sufficient audacity of faith to advance a pathway to that future, with arms extended rather than with fists still clenched. So let us seize the day. Let it not become a moment of mere sentimental reflection. Let us take it with both hands and allow this day, this day of national reconciliation, to become one of those rare moments in which we might just be able to transform the way in which the nation thinks about itself, whereby the injustice administered to the stolen generations in the name of these, our parliaments, causes all of us to reappraise, at the deepest level of our beliefs, the real possibility of reconciliation writ large: reconciliation across all Indigenous Australia; reconciliation across the entire history of the often bloody encounter between those who emerged from the Dreamtime a thousand generations ago and those who, like me, came across the seas only yesterday; reconciliation which opens up whole new possibilities for the future.
It is for the nation to bring the first two centuries of our settled history to a close, as we begin a new chapter. We embrace with pride, admiration and awe these great and ancient cultures we are truly blessed to have among us—cultures that provide a unique, uninterrupted human thread linking our Australian continent to the most ancient prehistory of our planet. Growing from this new respect, we see our Indigenous brothers and sisters with fresh eyes, with new eyes, and we have our minds wide open as to how we might tackle, together, the great practical challenges that Indigenous Australia faces in the future.

Let us turn this page together: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, government and opposition, Commonwealth and state, and write this new chapter in our nation’s story together. First Australians, First Fleeters, and those who first took the oath of allegiance just a few weeks ago. Let’s grasp this opportunity to craft a new future for this great land: Australia. I commend the motion to the House.

no country for old men

these days most times i go to a film it's a low-key affair
usually only a handful of other people in the theatre
admittedly viewing times and film popularity may be factors
but mostly it still surprises me about the lack of patrons
however at this viewing - full house on a late wet sunday afternoon
the word is definitely out on the quality of this film
me - coen brothers and tommy lee jones are all i knew
so as the film started i had no real idea of what was to unfold
llewelyn moss (josh brolin) is out hunting in outback texas
which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the film
sprawling, bleak, sparse, unforgiving, spine-chilling
he stumbles across a drug-deal gone wrong
abandoned vehicles, bodies, heroin and lots of cash
grabs the money and starts his film-lasting run
sheriff ed bell (tommy lee jones) is soon on the scene
and with him the first bit of wry humour from the anti-hero
his deputy declares - it's a mess ain't it sherriff
well if it ain't it'll do 'til a mess gets here - from the laconic sheriff
shortly after this we meet the ice-cold anton chigurh (javier bardem)
he works on the wrong side of the law and is after the missing money
this is one mean, daunting and psychopathic person
and dressed all in black and featuring a bob-like haircut
the absolute definition of who you would not want to meet in a dark lane
as the body count accumulates i likened him to a terminator
except he has a heart and a brain and therefore even scarier
his chosen weapon is a air-pressure stun-gun used to kill cattle
but used here to take out people and locked doors
the story is about the pursuit of the money-grabber across texas
the sheriff on the verge of retirement but working the case
looking and feeling very tired from a life of law-keeping
the hired hand after the money and killing with abandon
i am not one for violence for the sake of show and effect
but in this case it feels like we are confronting a possible reality
in this film death comes often and always in a chilling way
breath-taking also comes to mind judging by the audience reaction
but we're here for the long haul and continue the journey
by the end of 2 intense hours i felt quite drained
but knew i had witnessed a truly remarkable film
it sparked discussion, reading and investigating for days
i likened it in impact on the first viewing of pulp fiction
but up another notch in overall impact
thanks to a great cast
and fine direction
...stunning

died pretty

part 2 of the don't look back show at the enmore theatre
died pretty doing their much loved doughboy hollow album
second of about 3 albums i'd do anything to see performed
they had ed kuepper doing honey steel's gold as support
now that's one of the hardest acts anyone could follow
as far as i knew died pretty had not played as a band for years
this was a full theatre high with anticipation
so ed had done his job brilliantly as the support act
i must admit i was concerned whether they could pull it off
reminding me that a good friend and longtime d p fan
had declined to attend for fear of ruining the memory
it was a joyful moment as they took to the stage
this band has surely been missed by a lot of people
most of whom must have been in the audience
a huge reaction from the crowd as they started up
the familiar opening bars of doused filling the theatre
and for the second time this evening a moment of transcendence
a quick scan of the stage confirmed this was the classic lineup
chris welsh, steve clark, brett myers, ron peno and john hoey
all looking fitter, slimmer, even younger than remembered
ron yet again demonstrating there is one place he belongs
on stage, singing, performing, at one with the music
his voice cleaner and more powerful than remembered
within about 30 seconds any doubts were banished
this was going to be an awesome and unforgettable show
i had very purposely not played the album pre-show
wanted to be pleasantly surprised as each track was played
and sure enough as each tune started it was a great feeling
d.c. (second track) is probably the one loved by most
a lovely ode to a friend who has died of a drug overdose
sweetheart equally as popular tonight and played brilliantly
godbless has a guitar solo from brett myers that i never tire of
without exaggeration the part of their live show i always yearned for
as the tune built up to the solo i noticed the chap seated in front of me
he was obviously equally as excited and had his air guitar on standby
then throughout the big solo seemed to play it note for note
this fan was in fact no less than dave faulkner (hoodoo gurus)
proving to me that died pretty are held in high esteem by their peers
by the end of that song we had all been won over
and knowing we were witnessing a very special show
and then...
i'd forgotten about satisfied - the next track on the album
without going into too much detail here this tune cracks me up
did upon repeat play after release and did the same again tonight
the lyrics resonated big time with me at a difficult time in my life
and it all came flooding back tonight as ron and the band dug in
i'm not big on nostalgia really but this one does it for me
had me dabbing at my eyes and drawing some big breaths
and then for the next 6 songs i gave all the emotion back
joined in wild applause at the conclusion of each song
just could not believe how good the band were live
and i was not alone - dave in front was in raptures
they got called back for 3 outstanding encores
featuring a parade of their other best tunes
all played with astonishing power
what a show
died pretty
more!!!!
more!!!!
more!!!!

ed kuepper

i received an email late last year about an upcoming show
ed kuepper was scheduled to appear at the enmore theatre
performing from start to finish his honey steels gold album
mr ed is one performer that demands presence
so i basically worked a return to sydney around this show
don't look back is the name of the concept of the show
dreamed up by a 30-something year old english chap
started in the uk and has found it's way to australia
the idea is simply that a classic album is performed
fully, totally, and in the same running order as recorded
the stooges kick-started the idea with funhouse
followed by a number of other well-known overseas bands
looks like the promoter is onto a winner in australia
judging by the size of the crowd at the enmore on this night
there's about 3 albums i can think of i would go for done this way
honey's steels gold would absolutely be one of them
i had left things a bit late ticket-purchase-wise
so had a seat upstairs a few rows back but with a good view
a good round of respectful applause was given out
when ed sauntered onto the stage with his fellow musicians
jeffrey wegener on drums and peter oxley on bass
his current core companions making a superb 3-piece
i was aware that chris abrahams had contributed on the album
but was fairly sure it was not him on stage at the keyboards
the pianist had the task of starting the set with a recognisable riff
the opening and comforting piano chords of king of vice
which meant within a few seconds we were transported
to a time when ed was king and this album was omnipresent
one thing about ed is that he is totally dedicated to his craft
takes nothing for granted especially not his audience
though he himself seems transported when performing
the level of musicianship indicates a mutual respect
that may well be for the material he performs
but i like to think he does appreciate his audience
this night i suspect he very much enjoyed the occasion
playing some classic material with a great band to a large crowd
moving through the album seemed quite effortless for the band
each tune was delivered with meticulous musicianship
and the mix was superb in the warmth of the enmore theatre
the rendition of 2 radio-friendly tunes proving the worth of this album
everything i've got belongs to you and the way i made you feel
surely these days rated as classic songs in many peoples minds
the highlight for me was honey steels gold as usual
simple, simple lyrics but strong, strong guitar, bass, drums
one of a few that ed has carried forward live over the years
ed was playing support tonight so it was quite a short set
the album, the whole album and nothing but the album
he introduced the band at the conclusion
the mystery keyboards player being none other than alister spence
who i have a lot of admiration for as a composer and performer
he is one of a few around town striking out with experimentation
bumped into alister after the show in the foyer
thanked him for the performance just experienced
you should do some recording with ed i gushed
anything is possible he replied
good news
thanks ed
brilliant

juno

confession - watched this film from a dvd
still on wide-screen theatre release
you can't rent or buy it yet on dvd format
but these days anyone with the knowledge
a decent bandwidth connection to the internet
and an (un)healthy disrespect for copyright laws
can download just about anything it seems
myself - the old-schooler in me says do it right
and see it still in the best environment going
catch it in the big screen if you can
but on this night my must-see list is over-flowing
and a down-loaded copy was on offer for a viewing
and it's bucketing down in this very wet sydney summer
and there's a teacher friend who wants to see the film
so she can be prepared for a classroom discussion
and i'll go and see it on the big screen anyway
and...and...and..
anyway the projector was set up for a family viewing
which seemed appropriate given this is a family kind of film
in that it very well depicts in one sense a family dealing with a crisis
the 16 year old daughter/step-daughter becomes pregnant
and we then see the effect of this on her and those around her
as she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption
juno lives in small-town america so it's a close-knit community
and she interacts with all types of people along the way
particularly her father and step-mother who are most supportive
alison janney (the west wing) as the protective step-mom is most impressive
likewise jennifer garner as the obsessive adopting mother is also very good
the blokes in the film are presented as quite typical blokes
each with their own obsessions but also displaying empathy
this is what seems to make this film so good
all the characters are flawed in some way
but each has also a compassionate side that is quite endearing
probably not unnaturally we see juno mature before our eyes
as she develops from a teenager to a woman during the pregnancy
as a contrast we see the adoptive father refuse to grow up
he's a frustrated wannabe rockstar that cannot let go of his dream
cannot and will not stand by his maternal wife desperately wanting a child
much to the angst of juno who wants her child to go to a normal home
you know - not like one of those split ones everyone comes from
one of the big appeals of the film is the soundtrack
music is a major prop used throughout the film
not just as background noise but as integral to the story
which certainly adds to the huge appeal of this film
having seen it twice now i can understand it's popularity
it is a genuine feel-good film with references to today's culture
but at the same time gently reminding us of the big things in life
family, respect, understanding, differences, integrity
and lots of other words like that
juno - from greek mythology
great name, great film
i'll buy the dvd on release
that should ease my conscience

the darjeeling limited

bucketing down in sydney town

torrents of water gushing down gutters

pedestrians without umbrellas facing instant saturation

all outdoor activity recommended to be avoided unless necessary

e.g. dashing from office to el-cheapo chinese restaurant then to theatre

the darjeeling limited has been on the want-to-see list for a while

mainly because of the pleasure had in watching the life aquatic

the last film made by director wes anderson

it was quite a quirky film verging on downright weird

featuring some big-name actors and an excellent soundtrack

it may just be the style of the director rather than a specific formula

but this latest film smacks of the previous one in a lot of ways

the most obvious being the choice of owen wilson as one of the leads

i find his characters are always annoyingly happy-go-lucky

though given the mess of his private life
you would have to assume he is a very good actor
or maybe not averse to the ploy of any publicity is good publicity

in this film he is joined by an unlikely casting of adrien brody

who i have only ever seen in very serious roles
specifically his oscar-winning role in the ww2 flick the pianist
here he plays the role of the middle brother in this road (rail) film
the other brother is played by jason schwartzmann
someone i had heard of but not seen on screen before
he is also credited with being the writer of the film
apart from the appeal of the famous director
i was also drawn to the setting being a journey across india
the film trailer also indicated this would be an interesting film
but
i just kind of got bored with the predictability of the one-liners
this is owen wilson's claim to fame of course as he is a master of that style
he relished the role of the chief organiser older brother
bullying, teasing, belittling, dominating, admonishing
adrien brody seemed bored with the whole thing quite early on
which may well have been intended for the role he was playing
but it seemed to me to be coming from the actor not the character
a lot of time on the film is set on or around the train
as it makes it way across india providing the bonding time the boys seek
a lot of slapstick humour is used quite effectively
there are some laughs to be had even if predictable
hollywood's insistence on a sexual thread is there also
which i personally found to be quite distasteful
illustrating a modern, western, male attitude to sex
fortunately this is not a major part of the film
before long things get serious and they are forced out on land
and have to mix it with the locals
after the bungled attempt at saving some boys
caught in a flash-flood that sees one of the local boys drown
and our lads are then caught up in the despair around that
presumably this is the nadir of their journey
the message is delivered like a sledgehammer
including some quite patronising treatment of the locals
at which point i decided hollywood cannot do world movies
and the end could not come quick enough for me
it's a film of many components and messages
at times appealing and otherwise annoying
maybe a second shot is required
e.g. a weekly dvd rental