Category: Daily Life

Jo and I went to see a live performance by the Harvest Rain theatre company yesterday. So glad we did, we were not disappointed by the performance despite Jo feeling a bit under the weather with a tummy bug.

From the moment we took our front row seats in the audience, it was like stepping into the play ourselves. The stage was set as a dressing room and the “chicks” busied themselves in preparation for their performance. One of the girls floated around the audience offering her jar of “the most delicious lollies”.

Watching this performance was like watching a group of girls having the time of their lives with outrageous costumes, makeup and Shakespeare’s plays! The fun was infectious and the gags were non-stop.

The highlight of the performance for me, was the most serious part – an enactment of the scene in Othello where he kills Desdemona. There were two enactments of the scene: in the first, the actors hammed up the performance to demonstrate how little empathy the writer could have had for women. The second enactment was pure drama, a jealous, violent husband and terrified wife..

Although it was my favourite part, it did not fit well into the rest of the show. Some of the audience did not seem to pick up the shift from comedy to drama, and tittered inappropriately.

I came away from the show feeling entertained, and highly impressed with the ability of the actors, particularly Sarah McCoy who showed immense range: from a bubbly bimbo, to a diabolical Lady Macbeth, then an estranged Othello. Hers is one name I shall watch out for!

Reviews:

612 ABC Brisbane – Justine Cawley
The Courier Mail – Emma Rodgers

Asoka – so continues an onscreen love affair with Shah Rukh Khan

The Final Cut – not as interesting as it could have been

Terminal Velocity – Charlie Sheen with cute sideburns

Untamed Heart – why did Christian have to die?

Life Aquatic – not sure if it was a flop or subtle genius

A mini review of the latest lot of weeklies from the local hire store!

• Seize the Day
• Assassins
• Save the Tiger
• Serendipity

Seize the Day – Robin Williams in a fine dramatic role as a 40 year old man whose life is falling to pieces. Back-stabbed by his boss, his wife and his father he is a man shackled by responsibility and guilt. The one positive in his life (his girlfriend) is pushed to the periphery as he struggles to get his life back on track. Distressing.

Assassins – From the writers of The Matrix, this action movie stars Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas as duelling hitmen. Banderas is keen to eliminate Stallone to claim the top spot as the best hitman. Stallone is sick of the business and wants out. A smooth storyline, good acting, nothing that really grabbed me.

Save the Tiger – A wonderful dramatic performance by Jack Lemmon, another man down on his luck.

Serendipity – John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale chick flick.

H was telling me about his shift last night, he and his partner were discussing the local racing event which many of their off-duty colleagues were attending that night.

Seems it is something of an annual tradition to deck themselves out in fancy dress for the event. This year one of the fellows was dressing up as a Roman Centurion – “and,” H commented “he doesn’t have the legs for it!”

H’s partner observed that he had been on the night shift for last year’s event as well.

H recalled that he had also been on night shift on that date.

“Well”, said H’s partner “happy anniversary!” 🙂

What a bizarre movie! I chose this one because it stars Bruce Campbell, best known for his role as hero Ash in the Evil Dead trilogy.

In Bubba Hotep Campbell plays an aged Elvis Presley (aka The King of Rock and Roll), living in an old people’s home regretting the bad decisions of his earlier life – such as exchanging places with an Elvis impersonator, who died (that infamous heart attack in the lavatory) before they could switch back.

All around him the old folks are being killed off by an ancient Egyptian mummy, who is inexplicably dressed in a cowboy suit. It is up to Elvis and his buddy President John F. Kennedy to battle the evil creature and save the souls of their fellow residents.

Campbell does a humorous Elvis, without any element of ridicule. There are so many theories about Presley’s death that this one doesn’t actually seem too far off-base and you can really sympathise with the Elvis in this story.

“It would have been too easy to play the potbellied Presley for easy yuks, but Campbell, under layers of makeup, gets those laughs with some subtlety, while finding actual dignity and pathos in the forgotten King.” – CANOE Jam! review by Mike Bell

This movie is probably not for everyone, I think it takes a somewhat warped mind to appreciate the genius of Bruce Campbell.

The prequel Bubba Nosferatu is currently in production.

Jo and I went and saw Pirates of the Carribean 2 today at Redbank. Wasn’t totally blown away by it but enjoyed it as light entertainment (it is Disney after all!). I’ll probably go along to the third movie which comes out next year.

Bit of a surprise development with the Elizabeth Swann character, it will be interesting to see how that pans out in the next movie.

Some background from The Daily Telegraph on Johnny Depp’s characterisation of Captain Jack Sparrow:

“The actor initially mortified Disney executives with his decision to play Sparrow as a loopy, smirking and sometimes effeminate pirate.”

The movie certainly had me wondering how a character like Captain Jack manages to command his crew of salty dogs! Arrr!

They are a pretty accommodating crew now I think of it.. quite happy to take orders from landlubbers William and Elizabeth too!

Learn how pirates speak – http://www.talklikeapirate.com