Living through the tough times

Saw a great film ( true story) this week ." The Pianist"  A man who lived in Warsaw through WW 2. Disturbing but wonderful .  For those who missed it " The Concert " too is an outstanding celebration of life in the face of great stress and trauma. 
I am in it apparently - guess who ; go on !

Really funny serious family stuff - Best nightcap for your kids

Too tired for visitors but wouldn't mind if they were ......funny and came and left in 30mins . Got just the thing for you --The Cosby Show!  ( Carsey warner). No its not dated - To be as funny as Cosby is , you have to be seriously on the ball ! Makes a great nightcap

TV Book Clubs?

I like the idea , but seldom find it satisfying to watch. Colm Tiobin was good on ABCTV tonight, but the resistance to his passion ( apart from Jason and, I trust Geraldine D who overuses that word ) annoying for the girls predictability and distraction .
Jennifer Byrne's program on ABCTV constantly tries to drum up some excitement for all the latest, when, as Colm Toibin tried to say this week, many of the best "pictures" and formats are old and their stories can be "retold" to a waiting audience. Revivals of Shakespeare in our time prove it. More on  agoodbook 

The Good Life-- indeed it is

Life is not so much about where you live, but how you live. This outstanding timeless comedy from Bob Larbey should enable generations of new western young people to enjoy exploring their opportunities in their own backyard ( however small) . Not that any of us really should slavishly follow either lifestyle choice outlined in the story - no rather the gift of sharing what little we have with our neighbours - whoever they are and whatever their jobs are in the new millenium .
The story is not so much about the wonders of self sufficiency, but the wonders of life ; discovering that more is less, and less is more - that what we have indeed been given is really enough. That greed is not only bad , but bad for you ! And how funny it all is trying - reminds me of Tevye in Fiddler on the roof - Tim and Barbara trying to play a little tune on the roof .
Love and adventure can and should be constrained by our backyards our callings and our footprints . Love and care for the world therein makes any backyard grow into a world big enough to house all our ambitions . Tom and Barbara prove that its not what you have, but how you use what you have, that matters. The world is not short of resources, but a willingness to share those resources. Full series on DVD is a must for your library.

As time goes by

You meet some horrible people don't you. Take that Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer)bloke from this series . Why would you ever invite such people to your living room again ? Let alone live with him ?
Perhaps the grumpy old men like the series because Judy Dench is so patient and kind.
But why would women enjoy the torture of living with that cynical old self centred sort .Maybe it reminds them that theirs is not so bad after all?
Maybe its like the gos mags and funniest home vidoes - we enjoy seeing someone else suffering?
No, I think whatever it is "As time goes by" is enjoyable because its realistic and its charm is because there is love there - the really tough kind .

While we have only just watched the first series ( we got the whole lot for nicks at Lifeline book sale in Canberra last week )its even got a bit of romance - how did I miss that first time around ; I wonder how long the romance will last? The lasting kind

What does that great comedy writer (Bob Larbey - The Good Life) think of whats happening now ?

Bob Larbey, the co-writer of The Good Life – voted not so long ago one of the nation’s top 10 sitcoms of all time – is more qualified than most to judge the state of television today.
His verdict is damning: a lot of the comedies he sees strike him as “deeply offensive” and he believes broadcasters are using them to try to attract younger viewers.

“They use words like edgy, but that is ----------, because they don’t know what edgy means. Till Death Us Do Part was edgy. Steptoe [and Son] was edgy.”From Tim walker of the Guardian last month

GRAN TORINO

***** Clint Eastwood acts real tough. BUT, if you haven't seen this big shooting film, "you ain't seen nothing YET" . How about YOU Make your day and see this great film;
It forces the audience to watch a few people just like us grabbing solid toughness in desperation; In doing so it shows up the shallow and ineffecetive Noise and Bluster of the cheap immitations We get to see just what a few really tough choices look like .
Some people think the best thing to do is "the natural thing to do" - This film shows how inadequate that is . How though do we go beyond our emotions and try the immpossible . The natural instinct for revenge provides nothing but self justification and stupor on both sides; no way out seems possible ; The escalating war and hostilities in our homes and neighbourhoods would be depressing if it wasn't for the not so obvious kind of toughness discovered in this great film .
The film is a must see, with some great young heroes to inspire YOU . For more on doing the impossible CLICK HERE

Treasures YOU can afford !

The Holiday DVD place on the Coast at Phillip Island had changed hands and was throwing out its old VHS to make way for the DVD's. As usual, I couldn't remember any reviews of the many mystery bag tattered covers bags that were now losing their appeal to everyone but me : I expected little, although i felt that like old records , wear could mean treasure !. I was therefore surprised to go to the desk with 21 tapes.
Amongst the great surprises was BIG MOMMAS HOUSE (proof that great comedy often has to work with the trash before you catch a glimpse of what's worthwhile; Darryl Quarles well written stuff is carried well by all; QUICK CHANGE is another 4 star comedy with great suspense;
BOX SETS The advent of series tapes for sale has meant we can follow some great series properly and without interruption. BALLYKISSANGEL tops our list of family engagements with guts ; with TO THE MANOR BORN and MOTHER AND SON good ways to wind down the day )
So you are saying - "I can't afford them" - us too . Try visiting your friends or neighbour; hint to your children that you would like them ; and setting up a library at your church - why watch rubbish when there are works of art around .
One movie to make you appreciate the good news was
called THE GOOD SOLDIER .Its a must see. a really powerful exploration of 2 couples in particular and the way their best intentions are not enough to get them to really enjoy their marriages . Not that they couldn't , just that they didn't. Tell me what you think if you see it ? Quite scary for its honesty and challenge to think deeply about the path to forgiveness and health.



Others we could recommend for reasonably mature children are " RUN FAT BOY RUN "and "NOTHING TO LOSE "- both great comedies with twists and turns over quite serious matters. Not sure why script writers feel obliged to overdo the swearing- KISS is always better although i have to confess that the chorus of "shut the F up" in NTL was powerfully used and purposefully well done !