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After describing the plot of ‘When The Rain Stops Falling’ to someone who hadn’t seen it, I was asked how the time-shifts had held up on stage. The answer, in this case, is a little iffy. As far as staging goes, it was handled well, often with overlaps, but always with a clear understanding of where was when. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always clear who was who, and three quarters of the play is spent figuring out which character was which in each timeframe. A little more attention to plot clarity, and less on directorial clichés would have helped this production.
Next time I’m down this end of Brunswick St looking for a coffee and a quiet lunch, make sure I walk the extra twenty or so meters to Atomica, rather than stopping at Endis. They serve out the usual café fare, with burgers, pizzas, and focaccia; but they all end up a little bland, despite the variety of ingredients used. The whole place has the feel of someone simply going through the motions of running a café. And when there are so many places nearby with spirit and attitude, I can’t think of any reason to go back to Endis.
Over the years, I’ve had mixed feelings about monster flicks, and I really thought that ‘Cloverfield’ would be one I wouldn’t enjoy. I’d heard the talk of the shaky camera, lack of back-story, and frenetic pacing to keep the run-time down to just over an hour – but combined, I think it worked. These three points all merged to give the movie a panicked feel, tying you in to the emotions of the characters on screen. The acting and directing were surprisingly good (if you ignore T.J. Miller’s forced voiceovers), and the visual and sound effects made for an impressive experience.
It’s a tough gig to call yourself a “Lounge Bar Restaurant” and pull it off. The closest I’ve come across to successfully managing the combo is World. Then there are others that end up as too much of a bar, and while The Apartment tries to manage it with separated dining and bar areas, there’s no segue and the result is less than comfortable. The menu is succinct, missing many lunchtime standards, and the food is reasonable, but nothing to write home about, so I think it’d be much better suited to a quiet cocktail after work on a Friday.
I got the tip off to watch ‘Andy Richter Controls The Universe’ from a list of TV shows cancelled earlier than they should have been. Unfortunately, I disagree. This show is mediocre at best; lacking subtlety, endearing characters and clear writing. Most of the laughs come from jokes at the expense of the physical appearance of characters, and though the first episode sets up the story behind the five main characters, the remaining five episodes immediately choose to ignore it. I’m surprised this was given a second season. I might have to watch just to see if it gets better.
From what I hear, it cost Robert Zemeckis about $200 million to make his adaptation of the Dickens classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’. Personally, I feel it would have been more powerful of made for one percent of that figure. In a piece of reverse logic any philosopher would be proud of; motion capture was used with the human actors to make the computer generated human characters look more like the humans that the computer generation was based on. As for it being in 3D, this added no more to the film experience beyond making the audience members feel sea-sick throughout.
I’ve never grown out of that childhood need to hear a story before bedtime. It can be a novel, a histoy, or even just a well rehearsed shaggy-dog tale. ‘Bluebear’, in the similar vein of train-of-thought fiction as Hitchhikers Guide, falls neatly into all three of these categories. Detailing the accounts of a blue bear called Bluebear and his travels through the continent of Zamonia, this is a story without any deeper meaning, told only to conjure images of the hundreds of mythical creatures (like yetis and chimeras, or demons and gnomes) through dozens of far-off locales.
With a fit-out like this, you could be very well be sitting in an opulent dining hall in Rajistan itself. The courteous staff aid this feeling, as does the complex aroma drifting from the tandoor oven in the kitchen. The menu is extensive and the food is great. The heartily spiced curries have more body behind them than many Indian restaurants are serving at the moment, and the garlic naan bread could be a meal on its own. With good food, reasonable prices, and BYO with cheap corkage, it’s a great place for an after work dinner in the city.
When you give the mind of Joss Whedon a clean slate upon which to produce a short serial, ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’ is what you get. These are the musical adventures of Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) as he attempts to conquer his Super Hero nemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion); and Billy (Horrible’s alter-ego) as he attempts to woo the heart-of-gold Penny (Felicia Day). It’s light hearted, very funny, and features a swag of characters that you can’t help but love. This is Whedon pushing the envelope of what’s accepted as normal on film, and I like it.
Yum Cha is a great way to eat with a big group, and Shark Fin House is a great place to eat Yum Cha. It’s busy, and from what I’ve heard, it always is; but with the efficiency and number of staff patrolling the floor, that doesn’t mean you’ll go hungry. As well as being plentiful, the food on offer is wonderfully varied – it didn’t take long to lose count of the options available. It’s also quite affordable, and in most cases you’ll get out of there fully fed for under $30 per head. It’s great fun and great food.
