Zatoichi — The Blind Swordsman
The story of Zatoichi has been around in Japanese movies and TV for a while. I saw this latest remake recently — it is a lot of fun, especially if you consider artistic, cinematic dismemberment to be fun. The director … Continue reading
A nice cup of tea and a sit down
“Well I think we should all sit down and have a nice cup of tea, and some biscuits, nice ones mind you. Oh and some cake would be nice as well. Lovely.” That’s the mission statement of NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown.com. The world … Continue reading
Great BBC online music shows
I learned to love BBC radio when I lived in the UK last century; the shows covered every kind of music, and every week I would discover some new (or old) musical treasure. Now that I’m back on the other … Continue reading
Motorola E365 is Rubbish — A Review
In 2003 I bought a Motorola E365. I hate it. Almost every day I discover a new thing I don’t like about it; finally, I couldn’t bottle up the bile any more, so I am venting my spleen here. If … Continue reading
Send your action figure on a tour of Italy
Have you ever wanted to go on a tour or Italy, but could never find the time? Well, why not send your barbie doll or garden gnome instead? My friend Doug is auctioning “a trip of a lifetime for your … Continue reading
Thunder, Lightning, Strike — The Go! Team
Half bouncy and exciting, half pleasant and inconsequential. Like so much in life. This album isn’t as good as I was expecting. About half the tracks sound like instrumental fillers from indie pop albums; they’re all worth a listen, but … Continue reading
Democracy — Michael Frayn
This absorbing drama follows the rise and fall of the man who brought down the Berlin Wall. Well, perhaps I am overstating things, but Willy Brandt, West German Chancellor in the early ’70s, was a crucial figure in the years … Continue reading
Over My Dead Body — Mona Hatoum
I went to see the Mona Hatoum exhibition “Over My Dead Body” at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art on the weekend. I had seen some of her work before, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art several years ago. … Continue reading
Sideways
Two friends take a road trip through the wine country of California. One is trying to escape his past; the other is trying to escape his future. They meet a couple of women who open their eyes to the possibility … Continue reading
Want One — Rufus Wainwright
The first two songs on this album are so good that I can’t even remember what the rest of it is like. Rufus Wainwright’s music had never really appealed to me before: what I had heard seemed a bit too … Continue reading