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Every so often we all need a lesson in the modern history of Rock and Roll, and even at 44 years of age, Eddie Vedder is a fantastic teacher. Sure some things have changed – he now swigs red wine, rather than beer, on stage; but the passion, the attitude, and the music remain the same. Touring their new album, ‘Backspacer’ (which I’m forced to admit I’m yet to buy), they mixed new with old (though, to the disappointment of many, avoiding ‘Daughter’), and even at one stage prompted a sing-along of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in The Wall’. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Having originally seen this movie when I was about 12, it was a very different experience watching it again this week. At the time, I’d appreciated the humour and juxtaposition of a man in a shirt and tie shooting up fast food restaurant. This time, however, what stuck me was how well Ebbe Roe Smith, Joel Schumacher and Michael Douglas have captured William’s nothing-to-lose desperation and subtle shift to becoming the “bad guy” in his own story. At once, his behaviour can seem so outlandish and extreme; whilst at the same time can seem completely justified and understandable.
Movies are usually told from one angle, but did you ever want to hear the other side of the story? Maybe it’s just a big misunderstanding? That’s the premise of ‘Tucker and Dale Versus Evil’, an independent film by Eli Craig, just waiting to be picked up by a studio. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are two country boys who accidentally scare some city campers, but get a surprise themselves when the campers start dying. Who’s out to get whom, and who’s just there to help; provides the backbone for what looks like it could be a very funny movie.
Taking lots of digital photos, and backing up an extensive CD and DVD collection can quickly burn through the gigabytes, so when you’re looking for a simple way to add digital storage to your computer, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of a Western Digital Elements USB2 External Hard Drive. It’s the simplest form of plug-and-play, and at a little over 10c per gigabyte it’s very cheap. The trade off comes between speed and simplicity, but for the majority of applications USB2 speeds are enough. If you’re not currently backing-up, this is a very easy way to start.
The sci-fi genre has become saturated with fast paced action recently, so it’s good to see Alex Rivera take a slow paced approach to tell a beautiful story. The advanced technology, despite playing a major role in the film’s plot, takes a back seat to character development and social commentary as we see Memo and Luz’s relationship develop and understand the implications of living in the shadow of a nation doing everything it can to restrict outside usage of its natural resources. If this is the quality of the new generation of Mexican filmmakers, then I look forward to more.
In the last week, I’ve eaten from Patee Thai twice, both for take-away and dine-in. And I’ll let you know that it has surpassed Sala Thai as my favourite Thai place in Fitzroy (and the full house at an early Sunday dinner sitting would seem to indicate that a fair few people agree). The décor and staff seem very authentic, and the food is wonderful. Sweet creamy curries (my favourite being the red duck variety) feature tender meat and still crisp vegetables, and the stir-fries are nicely varied and not too heavy on sauce, as can often be the case.
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.
It’s the pixelpocalypse; and, armed with just a snazzy suit, it’s time to run. There are other simple and addictive games out there, but with only one button, it really doesn’t get any simpler (or more addictive) than this. Created for a game development competition with the theme, ‘minimalism’; Canabalt succeeds where ‘Jumper’ failed, and draws you into a story without revealing any background plot details. You’ll never know whether you’re an undercover agent in a secret resistance, or whether you’re simply a guy who wants to get home from work. All you know, is that you need to run.
Living in Fitzroy, it’s easy to forget that cafés like this exist can outside of Brunswick St. But exist, they do. And they serve some very nice food in a very relaxed manner as well. Sitting in private school central on Glenferrie Rd, the mis-matched chairs and indie-rock concert posters on the wall seem somewhat out of place, but a breakfast with this much bacon (or smoked salmon, if that’s your thing) can help you fit in anywhere. The service is great, with a touch of aloofness on par with Atomica, and they’ve almost got the coffees to match, too.
It’d be tough for another restaurant too have a more relaxed feel than The Baths. The chairs are comfortable, the fit out’s clean, and the whole place literally sits right on the beach, so as you can imagine, the view is beautiful. It doesn’t stop there – the food is brilliant, too. Our lunch provided us with a spectacular duck and mushroom gnocchi, featuring tender shreds of confit duck breast and a variety of mushrooms, sautéed with a delicate temperance of garlic. Combined with the wonderfully soft gnocchi pieces, this was the best pasta dish I’ve tasted in a long time.
