August 22

Happy About Miserables

A veritable ocean of water has passed under the bridge since I last saw a live play. That is a regretful state of affairs. There’s something about watching a good stage production that the recorded medium just cannot emulate. I was reminded of that today when the Librarian, the Game Guru and I attended a pro-am production of Les Miserables at the Regal Theatre (leaving the Lego Lover in my Mum’s company).

We bought our tickets several weeks ago which allowed us the luxury of choosing front row seats in the balcony section. We weren’t quick enough to secure the centre of the row but the view from the seats we did reserve was fantastic. (Note to self: make sure to secure front row balcony seats for all future forays to the theatre.)

Game Guru was quite excited at seeing his first play. He has developed quite a passion for Les Miserables and this production seemed like the ideal introduction. And none of us were irritated at the audience, which is, unfortunately, not something we can say for some cinema outings. When the lights went down the audience became silent and actually listened. At the cinema there’s usually a buzz of conversation from some part of the crowd which is accompanied by the occasional ringtone and the frequent crackle of plastic bags. None of that here.

Game Guru’s excitement was amply rewarded. It was a very good production and we came away feeling happy. I hope it won’t be too long before we attend another play. I thoroughly recommend the experience.

Category: Plays | LEAVE A COMMENT
August 10

Kitty Porn

Cats are amazing creatures. My cat, for example, spends her hours plotting my demise (her last attempt at tripping me almost succeeded). For all her tenacity, however, she hasn’t managed even a basic mastery over the computer keyboard. Keith Griffin’s cat, however, is an expert.

According to Griffin, his cat is not only a master of the keyboard but is also a connoisseur of the arts. Unfortunately, said cat is not a master of spelling or perhaps said cat made a typo while searching for “kitty porn”. It was an error that has landed poor, poor Keith Griffin in an ocean of hot water.

Poor, poor Griffin only wanted to download some music. While he was downloading his musical bits the nefarious cat jumped on the keyboard. Satisfied that his cat had everything under control, Griffin left the room. When he returned, however, he found “strange things” on his computer and a guilty looking cat staring at him.

Strange things? Over one thousand “strange things” had somehow made their way onto his computer. It was the cat that “dun” it, of course. While Griffin (poor, poor, Griffin) was out of the room, the cat had conducted his own virtual exploration. Keeping one watchful eye on the door, the cat used his favourite search engine and was surprised to find that the results didn’t depict a single kitty. Undeterred, the criminal cat browsed away. He apparently enjoyed what he saw because he saved over a thousand images for later perusal.

Of course the cat did it, Keith Griffin, of course he did. You would never have such “strange things” on your computer, now, would you? If only the constabulary would believe you. Poor, poor Griffin.

Category: Animals, Bloody Idiots, Cats | 2 Comments on Kitty Porn
August 8

Outbowled, Outfielded and Outclassed

Australian cricket isn’t the force it was a couple of years ago. Back then other countries wondered how they could draw a match against us, let alone win. Even the retirements of great players had little effect because each retirement only opened the door for another talent to make his mark. That all changed when a large number of players retired at or around the same time. Gone are the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer. No team in the world could withstand such a depletion of talent and the aura of invincibility that grew around it. Our national cricket team has come back to the pack. It was bound to happen but we didn’t want a slide towards the mediocrity of the 80s. I still have a shudder or two when I remember the bad old days that were the 80s. We were the easybeats and I’m not talking about the rock group that gave us “Friday On My Mind”.

The first few matches of the Ashes series in 2009 saw an Australia that looked a lot like those easybeats. We were headed for victory in Cardiff but Mitchell Johnson needed a few extra stumps to aim at and some of Ricky Ponting’s decisions had us scratching our heads. We should have won that match but we couldn’t remove England’s tailenders. England saved that match and went on to steamroll us in the second test. The third test was headed for an English victory but for the heroics of Michael Clarke and Marcus North. We were outbowled, outfielded and outsmarted. Mitchell Johnson made a century or two but not off his bat. Our foremost strike bowler just couldn’t find the stumps. Peter Siddle was almost as bad although there were occasions when he at least looked like taking wickets. Only the previously unsung Ben Hilfenhaus and the much derided Nathan Hauritz could hold their heads high. Strangely four of the top five wicket takers in this Ashes series are Australian; it’s just a pity that each of those wickets came at a such a high price. Even I can take ten wickets if you allow me the luxury of leaking a thousand runs.

We were a little unlucky, too. Brett Lee was injured before the first test and won’t be available until the fifth. He could have made a huge difference to our bowling attack. That, however, doesn’t explain the strange decision to omit Stuart Clarke. While Clarke is not a potent strike bowler he does tie up an end and builds pressure on the batsmen. He was exactly what we needed with Johnson and Siddle leaking runs. His inclusion in the fourth test highlights just how important his bowling is to Australia.

We can’t even blame the umpires who have provided us with a master class in poor decision making. Australia and England both received howlers from the unpires and Rudi Koertzen has been the arch villain so far. Cricketers who are struggling with a bit of poor form generally lose their place in the team but umpires merely continue to inflict pain. “Unfair” doesn’t even begin to describe the situation.

The Australia I know have finally turned up for the fourth test. Our bowling so far is as good as England’s was in the preceding tests. We have to win this match to give us a chance at retaining the Ashes. There’s still plenty of time left in the fourth test and so many things can happen but, win or lose, I can confidently say we are still a long way from the nadir of the 80s. That is enough to keep the nightmares at bay for some time yet.

Category: Cricket, Sports | 2 Comments on Outbowled, Outfielded and Outclassed
August 8

Coraline – In 3D No Less

I don’t go to the movies much these days – I can’t afford to refinance my house so that I can afford the tickets. Once in a while, however, a movie comes along that I just have to see on the big screen. Action movies, obviously, are best appreciated on large screens but the plethora of 3D movies that are showing in Perth also require a trip to the cinema. So off we went along with a significant chunk of my hard earned.

Coraline, the movie, is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, the book for children. Those of you who are familiar with Neil Gaiman’s work would know that Disney is not a major influence on his stories. As a result Coraline is a deliciously dark and scary movie in the vein of the best fairytales – not the Disneyfied, sugar coated fairytales but the “they cooked the witch” type fairytales.

The story revolves around eleven year old Coraline who has just moved to a house in the country with her parents. Pursuing deadlines, her hardworking parents urge Coraline to explore which she does begrudgingly and finds a portal to an alternate universe. This universe is everything Coraline wants from life, including a mother (an Other Mother) who dotes on her. Naturally, not everything is right in this universe and Coraline soon finds herself fighting for her life and her parent’s lives.

The story is the important element here but the visuals are not too shoddy, either. Dark and sombre, at times, colourful at others, the screen is a treat for the eyes. The 3D is nicely understated and don’t add much to the story – if the thought of wearing those special, polarized glasses fills you with dread just see the non-3D version. It is the story that draws you in, not the effects.

Gaiman’s story borrows heavily from fairytales and folklore. And, typical of fairytales, the cautionary elements are aimed at adults and children alike. Pay more attention to your children; don’t take your parents for granted; don’t play with buttons (just go see the movie.) It is scary but the children streaming out of the cinema seemed delighted. Perhaps it is us parents who are frightened the most. Just go see the movie.

Category: Movies | 1 Comment on Coraline – In 3D No Less