Date Nights

Peter and I are on very different work schedules, while I do a 35hr week 8.30-4 office job these days Peter's work has him on a variety of rotating shifts with quite a bit of evening work. Much of the time Peter's 'weekend' in Wednesday and Thursday, as it was this week. So last night we caught up with my friend David, who was in town for the evening from Newcastle, for dinner and some beers. David is likewise in the first flushes of a new romance, so much of last night was given over to all three of us talking excitedly about what the future holds.

On account of Peter's shifts he's often at home while I'm at work, so the day is peppered with lots of sweet text messages and emails backwards and forwards. One of his emails yesterday contained a link to a newspaper story about a feature length documentary movie showing in cinemas for one week only, starting tonight.



Kylie Minogue's "Aphrodite: Les Folies" concert. IN 3D.

Now not only can you love each sparkle, and each spangle, but you can practically reach out and touch the bouncing pecs on the dancing boys!

So I jumped online and bought tickets, and Peter and I have a date tonight with Ms Minogue (and a cinema full of very excited gay boys, no doubt).

Contracorriente

Yesterday afternoon my friends John, Mark and David, and myself, headed off to Circular Quay (almost under the shadow of the Opera House) to the Sydney film festival. John had organised tickets for us to see the gay themed movie Contracorriente aka "Undertow" from Peru. [Official site]

Wow. What a beautiful film! I can't recommend it highly enough. The film maker Javier Fuentes-León (um, woof!) spoke briefly before the film, and then stayed for a short Q&A session after the film, which really added to my enjoyment of it.

I found it really interesting to hear him speak about the realities of making a film about a gay love story in a deeply religious Catholic country like Peru. About keeping some of the plot lines until the end of the shoot, out of concern for the sensibilities of the local villagers. Many of whom were extras on the film. He also pointed out that although some people clearly disapproved of the developing story, many were actually quite accepting and the economic realities of the work the film brought to the village were such that nobody interfered with the production.

The story is primarily about the love affair between the closeted married bisexual Miguel, a local village fisherman who is only about a week away from being a father, and an artist called Santiago who has a summer house in the village. Santiago has a long history with the villagers, although he is still clearly an outsider. Partly because he is less concerned about hiding the fact that he is gay, something he only appears to be doing to try and protect Miguel. The action takes place within a few weeks, but it's clear that Miguel and Santiago have been lovers for a while at least.



What really makes the film is the performances. Wow. The chemistry between the two male leads (Manola Cardona and Cristian Mercado) is natural and really lovely to see. You have absolutely no problem believing that these are two men who love each other, even though the constraints on Miguel's upbringing and situation make it hard for him to admit it (although his actions express it more clearly than he probably knows). It's not just about the sex, there is support and love there. All the actors turn in fantastic performances, including Tatiana Astengo as Miguel's wife Mariela.

There is a plot turn (which I won't give away here) which takes the film in an unexpected direction, but it works beautifully. It tests the love between the two men, and makes Miguel face some hard truths about his situation. Ultimately the film is optomistic and positive.

...and I think I'm a little bit in love with Manolo Cardona who plays Santiago.



Those eyes.

[Updated: There is a new review of the film over at After Elton, but proceed with caution because it hints at spoilers.]

Chronal Stasis, In A Pair Of Manolos

I haven't seen Sex & The City 2. In fact, I didn't see Sex & The City (the first) either. In fact, the chances of me seeing either film (voluntarily) are somewhere between the likelihoods of me officially* becoming the future Mr(s) J Gyllenhaal and completing a conversation without the word 'actually'. That slim, actually.

So it was initially with a modicum of feigned interest that I became aware of the fact that Sex & The City 2 is in fact a science-fiction movie. And then I read the article and it's total genius.

It's the shoes. The shoes hold all the cards.

* Because dreams don't count.

September Is The January In Fashion!

Late yesterday afternoon I saw the documentary "The September Issue". OMG, I loved it. I came out of it absolutely loving Vogue's creative director, stylist and photo guru Grace Coddington, but I also came out of it having a new respect and admiration for Anna Wintour. Yes she is that "The Devil Wears Prada" character to some extent, but she also comes across as whip smart, fearless, somewhat wounded (when she speaks about her family in particular) and a little bit wicked and cheeky at times.

One thing that really stands out is how much work and effort goes into producing the magazine. A fact she speaks about in the Sundance film festival interview below:

Maybe fashion is facile and frivolous much of the time, but you have to admire the work that goes into creating beautiful things; the clothes, the photos (gorgeous!) and the magazine. These are people at the top of their game that are working damn hard to stay there in a constantly shifting landscape. Highly recommended.

Raucous Caucus

For the first time in my life I feel like I have, at least, a basic understanding of parts of the US political system. My insider in the media (and bestower of complimentary tickets) Mr James O'Brien invited me to the premiere of a new Aussie documentary film "First Stop Iowa". The film examines the Democratic Party primaries, with a special focus on the Iowa caucus. The intricacies are a little too complicated to examine in a short blog post (especially when I should already be in bed a half an hour ago), but the film examines the changes to the system that were generated by the tumultuous 1968 Democratic Party conference, and how that has created a system where the small state of Iowa has such an important role in in party politics.

Surprisingly engaging stuff, and I think some of that comes from the fact that the film focusses on the 'grass roots' campaign efforts of the various candidates' supporters. It manages to humanise and demystify a system that seems kind of odd to those of us looking in from outside the system, and without caucuses, electoral colleges and multi-multi-million dollar campaigns. Much of the footage was supplied by individuals attending the various rallies and campaign parties, and has an intimate feel. One thing that struck me about the difference in our political cultures is the zeal, enthusiasm and energy involved in the campaigns. Bread in part by the need to engage voters in a non-compulsory voting environment. Fascinating stuff, and although we know the outcome of the 2009 election you can't help but get caught up in the momentum of the Obama campaign as the election draws closer. I recommend it if you get a chance to see it.

Time Out

After yesterday's emotional rollercoaster of a day, I decided to give myself a time-out day today. Last night I was making plans about serious, important things to do today; phoning my old temp agency, signing up with online employment agencies, starting a big house clean in preparation for the possibility of needing to get a flatmate, blah de blah. However when I woke up this morning I decided to take this day for me. I'm not procrastinating (for a change!) but I thought it made sense to take a mental health day after yesterday. Recharge the depleted emotional reserves.

So I had a lazy start to the day (with a lovely cup of coffee from my preciousssss) before heading out at lunchtime to grab an inexpensive bite to eat in Newtown. After that I decided to make the best of 'tight-arse Tuesday'* and headed to the cinemas at the nearby Broadway Shopping Centre to see the new Star Trek movie.


Hello, loved it! I was a bit dubious because ever since being entranced by the original 60's series in re-runs as a teenager I have been a lifelong Trek fan. Most, but not all (I'm looking at you Deep Space Nine) further incarnations of Trek have have continued my love for the series, so 'reinventing' Trek in the nature of a prequel did have me concerned. Generally I think they did the characterisations and backstory well, the casting was good (despite a wtf? moment when I recongised Winona Ryder), and the action adventure elements of the story were great. I might even see it again.

My one bit of sensible activity was to visit my private health cover provider and claim the rebate for my last round of expensive medication. Ten minutes of effort, $45 bucks. Thank you very much. I nearly plonked $25 of that on a new book but naked fear common sense prevailed after I did the book?/food? cost benefit analysis. Blah, I hate being sensible... especially when it comes to my one big weakness of books.

So after my time-out day tomorrow's plan is to tackle the basics of life, the Earth-bound concerns. Doesn't sound quite as much fun as visiting quantum singularities and the space/time continuum with Spock and Jim, but must be done!

* Tight-arse Tuesday, the great Aussie tradition of cheaper movie tickets on Tuesdays. Fortunately it doesn't mean only those blessed with tight bubble butts get the discount, instead it refers to the Aussie parlance of a tightwad being a 'tight arse'. As in "He's so tight, he's tighter than a fish's arsehole."

The Virtues of Easy Virtue

T&H and I had a bit of an old school date night last night, dinner and a movie. I've been having a hellacious week this week at work, even though it's only a 4 day one. On the upside, 4 days of torture are better than 5, right? It's Monthly Management Meeting time, a particular time of the month that combines all the panic of Henny Penny with the psychotic frustrated rage of Michael Douglas's William 'D-Fens' Foster in Falling Down. The best one can do is put one's head and down and try like hell to stay employed.

So, in attempted antidote we had an absolutely fantastic early dinner before heading to the flicks. Bellies full of Vietnamese caramelised pork (ZOMG!) we headed to my favourite Cinema For Grown-Ups*, the Dendy, to see Easy Virtue. [Official website, with sound.]


I was clearly born fortymumblethirtymumble years too late because I wanted to be in this movie. Even as a non-smoker I was craving swanning around the crumbling Drawing Room of the Whittaker Estate, turkish fag in one hand and script of Noel Coward lines in the other. Not unlike the way I wanted to be one of the stately homos of England only 5 or 6 months ago.


If I got to marry Ben "Prince Caspian" Barnes in the process, then so be it. *sigh* Dressing for dinner never looked so good.


The women steal the movie, hands down. Modern meets old world. Brash meets reserved. American meets terribly, terribly British. Acid jibes are parried and cheap shots are fired across the bows. Apparently the original Noel Coward play was very cutting, one of his most vicious, and Stephan Elliott (Aussie director of "Priscilla Queen Of The Desert") and co-screenwriter Sheridan Jobbins have toned down the bile whilst keeping most of the acid.


ZOMG, Jen from the The I.T. Crowd! [/end geek moment]

So, as you might be able to tell, I loved it. The music is used to great effect. The costumes (oh the costumes!) are fabulous. The crumbling manse used as the setting is gorgeous, and lends an authenticity that sets never could. Dishy boys abound. Coward's dialogue is fab, and handled gently by Elliott and Jobbins. Biel is glamorous, smart, funny, strong and fragile in good order. Kristin Scott Thomas is brilliant, and formidable.

It's been out for a while now, but if you get a chance I'd recommend seeing it. The DVD was released recently and I think it's making it's way to my Wish List.

* Sure it has interesting films (subtitled and non), but more importantly a wide range of gourmet choc-tops and an even wider range of wines by the glass and beers. Wine in the cinema! Noel Coward and a lightly acid Sauv Blanc are a good mix.

I Have To Admit, The Rather Large Blue Penis Is Somewhat Distracting

On a whim tonight I decided to go see Watchmen. It was 5.45 and I'd just gotten off the bus after work, I was feeling somewhat aimless and not wanting to go straight home, the cinema was right there, there was a 6.15 session... I figured it was fate or something. So I bought my ticket and a beer (so civilised that my local cinema serves beer and wine!)

I really enjoyed it, but not unreservedly so. Mostly because the violence got a little much for me at times, just a tad too graphic. However, there was lots that I did love. I wasn't familiar with the premise, other than something about 'retired' superheroes.


I loved the mock archival footage and all the retro superheroes. So well done. The backstory behind the rise and fall of the 'watchmen' was clever, and put the story into a different sort of context from the usual 'superhero' story.


So many of my favourite boys are in this film. Patrick Wilson! He's no longer the lean, slightly built repressed hottie Mormon of "Angles in America", but someone more broad and solidly built (and yes, with a great ass). Nobody seems to quite do complexity and fragility/strength like the handsome Mr Wilson. Matthew Goode! Fresh from being a winsome English homo (and companion to Lord Sebastian Flyte) to being... well... blonde this time. Jeffrey Dean Morgan! So dark in this, but once he cracks that smile, and laughs that dirty chuckle. Mercy.


Billy Crudup's 'Dr Manhattan' is amazing, and it's hard to tell where the CGI/make up starts and ends. (I'm guessing the facial close ups are mostly Crudup, and the long distance massive physique/wang shots are CGI.) THE performance of the film for me though, Jackie Earl Hayley as Rorshach. OMG, until I imdb'd him I didn't place him as a well known former child actor, and one of the young teen actors from "Breaking Away". He has a fantastic presence in his Rorshach persona, but during the few scenes where he unmasks... his presence on screen crackles with intensity. Fantastic.

It has made me want to buy the original graphic novel, and I would recommend the film unless like me you have a lowish threshold for graphic screen violence.

Are You There Blog?

It's me, Andrew.

Sorry for the unplanned short hiatus over the past few days! Four posts in the past week? Wow, there was a time when that was a single day's output. I have no less to say, that's for sure. So shall we play catch up?

Work. Work has been busy, unsettling and odd. Mid week we had the sad spectacle of my boss being demoted, and frankly it was not well handled. His boss called us all together, made the announcement that he and another financial controller were in essence switching jobs (with it being a big reduction is responsibility ans status for my boss), that we were now all working for the other guy effective immediately.

My boss then had to clear out his office immediately and relocate to a workstation in the cube farm. To add insult to injury, his coveted undercover car space was taken as well and he's now parking out in the main car staff car park. (In the car industry, that's a biggie.) Then my new boss changed my job description, and instead of dividing my time between 3 dealerships, I'm only doing 2. Which is yay, but the job change took me away from working for my old boss in his new role. Pawn, anyone?

So, weird. Not terrible for me on a personal level, although my new boss is an unknown quantity at this stage. A cut in my workload is good, and my old boss could get rattled and freaked out at times which was hard to deal with. Time will tell.

Anyhoo. On a more upbeat note there has been sewing, a big night of beer drinking with James, a new pair of Thai fisherman's pants (My first and OMG I may live in these forever. So comfortable. What next, a yoga mat?) a birthday cheese-fest picnic for brunch this morning, knitting and a late afternoon movie session of Milk this afternoon. (Along with Doubt, the best film I have seen in a long time.)

Now it's Sunday night, the cheese-fest of this morning is unfortunately taking its toll, but I'm watching So You Think You Can Dance and wondering tomorrow's work day will bring. We live in interesting times.

"Doubt" In Haiku

Clean nailed Catholic priest,
One Phillip Seymour Hoffman,
Gives Meryl her doubts



Amy wants to think
The best of everyone, but
She too has her doubts

(Go see it, it is absolutely awesome. Streep, Adams and Hoffman are all completely brilliant. One of the best films I have seen in ages!)

Breaking The Rules

"It's Dick"

I stumbled on this scene on youtube this morning (and no, before you ask, I wasn't searching for 'dick') from one of my favourite films The Rules Of Attraction. This scene cracks me up!

Russell Sams as spoilt gay rich kid Richard decides to disrupt a lunch with his boozy mother (Swoozie Kurtz) and the equally boozy mother of his friend Paul (Ian Somerhalder) played by Faye Dunaway. Sams takes off and all the other actors can do is hang on for dear life and go along for the ride.

Oh, and if you are watching this at work... well, the language is very NSFW.

Hilariously so.

2008: A Celebration of Some Amazing Lives

As the year draws to a close, I think it's time to celebrate a few of the lives that ended in 2008. Not in a maudlin way, but in a spirit of celebration and joy. This is not an exhaustive list by any stretch, 2008 seemed to be a year when we said goodbye to many icons and famous names, but a more idiosyncratic art fag(ish) list of my own, stacked heavy with entertainers, artists and those who have somehow contributed to the cultural zeitgeist.

If you believe in reincarnation as I do, it's comforting to think that they are probably out there preparing to be fabulous all over again!

Miss Eartha Kitt, with kittehs (Chanteuse).


Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (actress, intergalactic nurse, spouse of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and the voice of the computer in numerous Star Trek incarnations).


Ted Lapidus (fashion designer, former dresser of the Beatles & Bardot, largely credited with democratising fashion by concentrating on affordable ready to wear, including unisex styles, flares and military style jackets).


Van Johnson (matinee idol, closeted gay actor).


Paul Newman (actor, humanitarian, devoted husband, good sort).


Bettie Page (pin-up).


Jorn Utzon (architect, great Dane).


Christie Allen (Singer, she gave us 'goosebumps, heart thumps, she made our motor run' for a brief while in Oz in the 1980s).


Pauline Baynes (illustrator, most famous for her illustrations for the C.S. Lewis "Narnia" novels and various Tolkein works).


Dorian Leigh (model, fashion icon).


Cyd Charisse (dancer, actress, leggy brunette).


David Brierly (actor, voice actor who was the voice of K9 in Dr Who).


Yves Saint Laurent (couturier).


John Phillip Law (actor, sexy angel Pygar from "Barbarella" amongst other roles).



Gary Gygax (Dungeons & Dragons game inventor, Supreme OverNerd, childhood hero).

Beautiful People

I said beau-tiful people
You know they're going out tonight to get their Bombay rocks off
Beau-tiful people
They've got a Kerouac conditon, got a cocaine cough
Beau-tiful people
Studio fifty-four is the only place to dance
Beau-tiful people
You know the garden's full of furniture, the house is full of plants

"Beautiful People", Australian Crawl 1979

Rudolph Valentino


Unknown beauty


Sari Maritza


Johnny Weissmuller


Guy Madison

Revisiting

I saw the movie remake of Brideshead Revisited last night with my friend Judy, and loved it. Not unreservedly I must say, but then I have such fond (and distant) memories of the tv series that this poor film is always going to suffer by comparison. Second Boyfriend syndrome, in a way.

I did enjoy it though, and I especially though they captured the style of the era so beautifully.



OMG. I have whittered on about vintage clothes and the 1930s before, so it's a given that this movie was already halfway to being my BFF. The fact that they captured it so well though makes me want to tongue kiss it too. (OK, agreed. That's weird, but you get my drift.) I like.



The clothes. The vintage bathing costumes! OMG, the knitwear! I missed the entire dialogue from one scene because I was so entranced by Greta Scacchi's hat. Such is the power of good millinery. Every time Charles appeared on screen in another Fair Isle vest I was thinking Wait a second! Slow down! Give me a look at that pattern! Le sigh. Definitely a DVD purchase coming up.



I enjoyed the performances. Sebastian is more doomed and less jolly than in the tv series, Charles is still a bit of a tit (albeit one that stirs my nethers, yum) but cast a little less as a potential social climber I thought, and Julia still needs smacking, hard etc. Greta Scacchi and Michael Gambon add some much needed warmth. That Matthew Goode (far right) is a stunner, and I later realised he was the handsome guy I had been so taken with in the other period piece My Family & Other Animals about Gerald Durrell and his family.



But I think I need to see it again to get past the distractions of millinery and really watch the story.



While I was exercising my Google-fu looking for pics I found a fab blog called The House In Marrakesh, about a couple who lived in a 500 year old house in Marrakesh. After seeing the movie they realised that the hospital scenes in Morocco were shot at the crumbling Bahia Palace, which they had taken many pics of. It provides a nice bit of backstory to the locations, and even though they are no longer in Marrakesh the archives make for a great read.

So. This morning was Haircut Day and I decided to jump in and do something I've been thinking about for a while. Given further impetus by the film, I'm changing my Generic Short With A Kicky Fringe style and going for something a bit more retro. Short back and sides, with longer floppy layers on top and the option of a side parting. I let it go 7 weeks between cuts, so the top is already quite long but it will probably take one more cut before the layers are really long enough to fill in the shape properly. I already love it though, and once it grows in properly I might post some pics.

No matter how hard I try, even with a fair isle vest and swishy linen scarf, I won't be a Charles Ryder... but I can dream.

[Updated: OK, I decided to share a pic of it after all. The new haircut, a work in progress.



Once the layers on top get a little longer I'll be able to side part it if I want, and hopefully get some floppy haired retro action happening. At least that's the plan!]

Friday Thoughts

I made the mistake of taking a good close look at my computer keyboard at work. Gross. There's all sorts of nasty under those keys. Anyone lose anything? I think I might have it.

I'm a bundle of stress today. Too much work, too little time to do it in, and deadlines missed. I keep telling myself to just effing chill the effing eff out, man! But then I hate getting yelled at, so that's just making me more stressed. It's a skill.

Haircut day tomorrow!

I'm going to a movie tonight, for the first time in ages. A real, gen-u-ine talking picture. In a movie palace! I'm seeing "Brideshead Revisisted" with my friend Judy, so it's winsome boys, longing looks and Ms Emma Thompson getting all up in their bidness.

You know you're a comfort eater when you're having a rough day, it's not even 11am, and already you're planning lunch.

"Newtown Festival" this Sunday. It's a fun day, although the crowd numbers have been steadily building to the point where it's a bit cray-zay. I'll probably pop in early-ish avec camera, and then hightail it outta there as the crowds and public drunkenness amp up. Then off to Mr O'Brien's birthday drinkies. Speaking of public drunkenness...

Monkey Puzzle

I scored a free ticket to the first night of the new Aussie film Monkey Puzzle last night, thanks to our favourite media insider Mr James O'Brien. The weather was pretty bad last night, cold, wet and blowing a gale as I wandered up Oxford St. I had stopped by the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park on the way to the cinema, and there was the sad sight of row after row of food vendors primed for business, and about a dozen sodden and beddraggled customers. Eleven, plus me. There was a point as I made my way up Oxford St that I thought I could be snuggled up on the sofa with the laptop and a hot chocolate right now. But I pressed on.

I quite enjoyed the film. The story centres around a group of 5 people who go on a bushwalk through the stunning but dangerous terrain of the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, in search of The Wollemi Pine. (You can actually go down the shops and buy one now, which would have saved them a lot of bother, frankly.) What they were searching for I gather was the original discovered specimens.

So, things go wrong. People are annoying. There's some shouting, some kissing, and some inexplicable business about a secret relationship. Some spliff smoking, and a tag along drug dealer. Honestly, young people.

The film is beautifully shot, in what looks like very close and difficult circumstances most of the times. The film really is visually stunning. Mostly because of this:

The Blue Mountains, New South Wales.

And this:

Ryan Johnson aka "Dylan". Hot dish coming through!

I agree with Margaret & David though, the secret relationship storyline doesn't really make sense, one of the more interesting characters exits stage left too early, and quite a bit of the dialogue deson't really seem to hang together. Plus, given that I am generally a fan of redheads I have to say that watching Toni's character go through her (annoying) paces made the expression needs a smack like a redheaded step-child skim through my forebrain more than once.

I give it 2 1/2 stars.

New Reading

A few weeks ago, and before the British Pound and the Aussie Dollar began their freefall slide into disagreement, I bought a couple of novels from the UK website The Book Depository. One because it was much cheaper than I could buy locally, and other because I had looked for it for ages here in Sydney and never been able to find it. It wasn't until I started thinking about blogging this that I realised the other thing they have in common is that they are both largely set in the 1930s (the second of which was actually written in 1933, and then revised in 1936).

First up, "A Perfect Waiter" by Alain Claude Sulzer. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this book, which is a good thing really. It was certainly thought provoking and surprising. The novel jumps backwards and forwards between the 1960s and the 1930s, when the arrival of a couple of letters opens old wounds still present from a love affair 30 years previous. Erneste is a waiter at a Swiss lakeside resort in 1935, when the arrival of 19 year old Jakob awakens his desire.



The era is meticulously evoked, including the unsettled atmosphere as wealthy Jewish refugees pass through the resort on their way from Germany, fleeing the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. Sulzer writes in a pared down and restrained manner, which captures the buttoned down viewpoint of closeted Erneste. Except for when his gaze falls upon Jakob. There are many themes, love, loss and betrayal for starters, but also how and why people grasp, or fail to grasp, opportunities. I think that the way Sulzer deals with the small and big betrayals, with both opportunism and it's inverse inaction, are really interesting and have parrallels in the setting and the timing of the novel.

Neil Bartlett's review is extensive and well considered, and there was a second (briefer) review in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Secondly, I just started the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton yesterday. Probably too early to review it, but I'm so pleased to have it after being such a fan of the original 1930s film for many years. (We don't speak of the 1970s musical remake. Liv Ulman singing? It has to be seen to be believed. Actually, even then you may not believe it.)



Like any book from which a favourite film hath sprung, there is always that disconnect where the book and the film vary. Some of the characters are different in the novel, and the framing device that set-ups the story was ditched in the film. Having said that, I'm enjoying it very much so far and its differences make it more interesting in a way. It likewise deals with a world on the edge of war and the effects of the Depression. Its themes of hope and the search for a safe refuge against struggle are probably somewhat apropos for our recent times, but then they are big grand themes that will always be part of the human psyche.

Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures Of Prince Achmed)

I hadn't heard of the film "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" until I stumbled across a link and a couple of stills on a blog earlier tonight. The film is the oldest surviving (and possibly the first) animated feature, made in in 1926 by German animator Lotte Reiniger.



The film was shot in a stunning silhouette style that makes me think of Balinese shadow puppets, in black and white (of course) that was then hand tinted. The original German print ran at 81 minutes as the film was run at 18 frames per second, but ran at 65 to 66 minutes everywhere else when shown at the more standard 24 frames per second.

According to imdb:

Lotte Reiniger cut figures out of black cardboard with a pair of scissors, and joined movable parts with thread in order to animate them. In the years 1923-1926, about 250,000 frame-by-frame stills were made and 96,000 were used in the film. Her husband, Carl Koch, was responsible for the photography in all her films until his death in 1963.

OMG, can you imagine? 250,000 set-ups. Cutting all those stunning silhouettes? My mind, it boggles. The stylish end result is a bit like an Erte drawing come to life.



There's a DVD available through Milestone Films, which I think is going to have to make its way onto my wish list once the AUS/US comparison stops tanking. There was a 4 minute sample on youtube, but it has been taken down due to a copyright claim by Milestone Films. However, in the meantime there are some 1 or 2 minute snippets still available when you search The Adventures of Prince Achmed in Google video. There is also a comprehensive site with lots of background links at Le Palais des dessins animés [in English].

I love finding out that there are people in this world mad or inspired (or both) enough to spend their labours making something wonderful. Then, now, and I see no reason why not, in the future. Fantastic. Now all I have to do is see a full copy of the film!

[Found originally via a blog entry at 2 or 3 things I know.]

New Diversions (Or: Entertainment For The Budget Savvy Homosexualist!)

I was in Kinokuniya early this evening and noticed they had a big display of classic Penguins for $9.95. Bargain! Plus they're so titchy, and the covers are kind of thin, and the paper is kind of even thinner. In other words, a bit of a non-modern experience in this post-modern world. Sized and flexible enough for a blazer pocket. You know, should the punting on the river get tiresome.

I have an informal list in my head, the Books I Should Read Before I Die list, and it just so happened that a bunch of them were on the display. I was going to grab three, but then decided to just grab two.



Pretend for a minute you don't know me, what about me would you derive from this selection? Oscar & Truman. Here's a hint the third book, the one I put back, was by E.M. Forster. Anyone? (OK, another hint - I can't whistle either.)

Anyhoo, there is a theme, and that theme is entertainment on a budget!

I also bought two discounted DVDs yesterday. One most excellent, and one... well, nice try. The excellent one was Season 1 of a little show you may have heard of, a little show about Vince Noir (King of the Mods) and Howard Moon (the Jazz Maverick, Monsoon Moon and don't you forget it) and their adventures in the Zooniverse... called The Mighty Boosh. (Wikipedia entry.)





OMG, hi-larious. It was one of those shows I caught snippets of every now and then late at night, and heard good buzz about, but never saw a full episode of. Well I caught a full Season 3 episode on SBS the other night and knew the buzz was true. So I picked up Season 1 post haste, and wasn't disappointed.

The other DVD was a, well, earnest and well intentioned gay film called Defying Gravity. Now I will freely admit that when it comes to judging harshly, I usually give indie gay flicks a bit of a free pass. Traditionally they have been hard to get made, with low budgets, and often with a cast of actors that are just starting their careers. (Actually, according to imdb some of them had no film or tv career they are aware of after this flick. Including the supporting actor whose name I adore - Seabass Diamond.)

There were a couple of quite good performances in the film, but they just threw the weaker actors into sharp relief. Not in a good way. With a more polished script and a more experienced director (this was his only directorial effort, although he has had a full writing and editorial career) some of those gaps might have been smoothed over. So nice try and good intentions, but I won't be adding it to my list of faves (either part 1, or part 2).

You know, I still might go back and get that Forster. And maybe the Gabriel Garcia Marquez... was he a poof too?

The Castanet Club

I was searching youtube recently for clips of The Castanet Club. The Castanet Club was an anarchic ensemble of Aussie comedians, musicians and singers that had a successful career in cabaret in the 80s and very early 90s. Their shows were famous for the characters they created (some such as Angela Moore's "Shirley Purvis" went on to have a life of their own outside The Castanet Club), their camp taste in music, kitschy style and especially audience participation. (Here's a little bio of them put together by Radio National in 2001.)

One of my favourite stories is that in the early days they helped finance their shows by baking and selling lamingtons to the punters.



Their show even spawned two hit singles on the Aussie music charts, a cover of the Italian classic "Tintarella Di Luna" and Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On". Both of which I still have on vinyl. Treasures.

Sadly I didn't find the music clips I wanted, but I did discover two clips from a 1990 Castanet Club docu-drama movie that I didn't even know existed! There is an extremely bare bones imdb entry for it, and I've also seen it listed as being called "Big Night Out". The best news, it's due for release on DVD late this year apparently!

"Viva Las Vegas" by Glenn Butcher and the Castanet Club ensemble.

"River Deep, Mountain High" by Lena Caruso and the Castanet Club ensemble

I never saw the Castanets live, but I did once go to a comedy cabaret show by the spin-off character Shirley Purvis. Sadly no clips of her on youtube, otherwise I'd show you. Think demented Aussie housewife that spoke a million words a minute and you are part way there. During the show she left the stage and went around giving everyone in the audience little nips from a giant flagon of cheap sherry. Now that's entertainment!

But a lamington would have been nice.