Moonlight Mile

Sydney Film Festival - My Wrap

2009-06-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

In the end I went to five films at the Sydney Film Festival. As you'd expect at a film festival not everything was to my taste but the important thing is that in the five was one absolute gem which made the whole experience worthwhile. So here were the five I saw with the the real gem coming last

Red Cliff
Biggest grossing movie in Chinese cinema history. The director, John Woo, was there at the start to give a little introduction in very broken English. He seemed a bit nervous I though almost like a school kid about to do a Grade 1 piano recital. "I hope you like" he said; not exactly brimming with confidence.

There's not a lot to say about it to be honest. Massive battles, great stunts, loads of explosions, plenty of history for the history buffs, bit of romance and a happy ending. I ought to point out that I fell asleep for about half an hour in the middle.

All in all a spectacular film which is going to stick in my memory for about one more week.

Parque via
I reviewed this in an emergency blog post here. No further comment really. It was an abomination.

Five Minutes of Heaven
Both the director Oliver Hirschbiegel and Jimmy Nesbitt (one of the leads along with Liam Neeson) were at this screening. Oliver introduced the film and then both of them came out at the end to answer questions.

I really enjoyed it but I can't help thinking that they missed an opportunity to make a really moving film about Northern Ireland. Just as no one has done the definitive film about the first world war (All Quiet on the Western Front possibly excepted) I really think that there hasn't been a definitive film about Northern Ireland.

The film starts off brilliantly with a gang of young loyalist taking on their first hit. Their target is completely innocent apart from the fact that he is Catholic and works at the docks. The murder is so simple and yet so brutal. It really brought home to me the absolute horror of what went on during the Troubles.

I think the second half of the film is a real disappointment however culminating in the ridiculous fight at the end. In my view it trivialises the enormous pain which both of these characters must be carrying. As viewers we're given very little context around their lives so it's quite hard to really relate to them as well. In my opinion it would have been a much better film if they'd never met. That, after all, is what has happened in real life.

Despite all this it's definitely worth seeing.

Everyone Else
This film is alright. Not great not terrible. As a dissection of a relationship on the rocks it's pretty good. It might be quite awkward viewing for some couples. In particular there is a great scene when the couple have to sit through a schmaltzy love song (specifically Ich hab Dich lieb by Herbert Gronemeyer) with all the lyrics seemingly reflecting their own situation.

Religulous
Finally, I went to see Religulous. The theatre was packed full of atheists and we laughed our heads off. The film is made in the style of Michael Moore or Louis Theroux (probably more the latter).

This is not a serious critique of religion. What it is is great entertainment at the expense of religion and specifically the religious people that he interviews. It's brilliantly edited to elicit the maximum number of laughs from the audience. I suspect a lot of the interviewees were unhappy with how they were portrayed and probably rightly so but they've got to admit that it's seriously funny.

A few points:

I'm not sure if the Horus/Jesus parallels actually stand up to any scrutiny.

It's a pity he didn't have a crack at any of the Eastern religions. The Dalai Lama seems to be given a lot of leeway by most atheists and unjustifiably so in my opinion. Those Buddhists and Hindus speak just as much mumbo jumbo as the Christians, Muslims and Jews.

The interview with Geert Wilders left me feeling a little uneasy. Geert Wilders is not anti-religious, he is specifically anti-Islamic. I'm not sure that he has a place in this movie.

I think there's a huge amount of comedy potential in religion. I'd love to see a sequel or maybe a TV series.

Great moview. Go and see whether you're atheist or not because it's brilliant entertainment.

XBOX Natal

2009-06-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Parque Via at the Sydney Film Festival

2009-06-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to warn everyone never to see this film which I watched at a matinee in the State Theatre yesterday. To say that I was bored just doesn't even come close to describing the depths to which I sank during this film. It was lucky that I fell asleep during the middle because I think if I had watched the whole 86 minutes my heart might have stopped. I was literally bored to the brink of insanity.

In fairness it is a film in part about boredom. Maybe the fact that it so completely bored me makes it some kind of masterpiece.

The problem is that I hate being bored. This film should have come with a warning.

As an antidote I'm going to watch Terminator tonight. Hopefully the combination of celebrity, special effects and weaponry should force me out of the malaise that Parque Via dropped me into.

Into the Purple Valley

2009-06-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Seasick Steve has been on my radar for a while now. On paper I should love him. Everytime I've seen or heard him though I can't thinking that he's a bit of a gimmick.

This

just doesn't compare with this

in my opinion.

I don't really buy any music but on the strength of that video I just bought Into the Purple Valley which Vigilante Man comes from.

Wikipedia addiction

2009-05-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

My top Vietnam War songs

2009-03-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

After listening to Jordie Lane's War Rages On (which is probably more about backpacking than it is about the Vietnam War) I decided to start the list of my favourite Vietnam War songs. So far I have:

I Was Only 19 - Redgum
War rages on - Jordie Lane
Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel
Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel
Running gun blues - David Bowie
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
To Susan On the West Coast Waiting - Donovan
Ruby don't take your love to town - Kenny Rogers
Look Out Joe - Neil Young

No doubt I'll think of more now.

While I was thinking about it another song with a military theme popped into my head and for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was. I tried humming it into www.midomi.com to no avail and it was only after a series of desperate Google searches that I managed to pin it down as Jona Lewie's Stop the Cavalry

Now that is a seriously catchy tune!

Coby Grant and Brian Campeau at Bar Me

2009-03-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

Went to Bar Me in Kings Cross on Friday for the first time and saw Coby Grant and Brian Campeau. The two performances couldn't have been more different but were both really enjoyable. At the risk of reducing their respective talents to a couple of bland cliches, Coby is light and fun and Brian is brooding and intense. Worth going to see either of them if you get the chance.

Sal Kimber, The Little Stevies and Jordie Lane at the Hopetoun Hotel

2009-03-13T00:56:00.000-07:00

Just briefly I popped down to the Hopetoun hotel last night to catch Sal Kimber who had been highly recommended to me. Sal was great and reminded me a lot of Lucinda Williams (who is coming out next month). Definitely go see Sal if you get a chance.

The standout for me though was Jordie Lane who opened up the night. From what I heard he has a serious claim to being the Australian Ryan Adams. Standout song was I Could Die Looking At You

I'll definitely go see him next time he's back in Sydney. Hopefully next time he'll bring his band as well.

The Little Stevies also supported are were really good.

Have you been credit crunched? Tips for surviving redundancy

2009-01-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

Here are my top tips for people that suddenly find that they have lots of time on their hands but not quite so much money:

Public libraries
My number one tip is your local library. I'm sitting in Paddington library at the moment enjoying the free wifi. It's quiet, it's comfortable and unlike a cafe with free wifi I don't have to buy anything to use it. Also it has newspapers, magazines, DVD's, CD's and obviously lots of books and they're all free. I have a new found respect for the public library. My top tip for libraries in Sydney is Double Bay library which is located in a beautiful little park with views of the harbour and is about 50 metres from Redleaf beach if you fancy a swim.

Budget
Now for hard practicalities. Budget. This is the first and most important thing that you need to do. Working out how long your money will last is crucial. Most importantly you don't want to run out. Work out a budget and then keep an accurate record of how much you're spending and compare the two. Focussing on what you spend will help you make your money last by cutting out the costly things which don't really give you much enjoyment. I've found that I actually enjoy the challenge of trying to spend as little as possible. I'm going out drinking with friends tonight and so I don't end up buying expensive pub snacks I'm going to make sure I eat before I go. And the friends who are usually a bit shy about buying their round aren't going to get away with it tonight!

Coffee
You've no longer got a job so there's no excuse for being fuelled up on cafeine all day. You'll save yourself a fortune, you'll sleep better and your teeth will be whiter. If you absolutely have to have one then make it at home.

Water
Give up all those expensive soft drinks and fall back on God's greatest gift to humankind: water. It's virtually free, it's refreshing and it's healthy.

Friends
Friendship is free and life enriching so take the time to catch up with people. Get them round to yours or go round to theirs. Find a friend who likes to play chess and meet up for a weekly game.

Walking
Your feet are going to save you a lot of money while you're out of work. If you need to get somewhere plan ahead and walk instead of driving of taking public transport. Walking is also a great way to spend an hour or two. You'll find beautiful places that you've never seen before. I went for a walk a couple of days ago and found a beach which I never knew about 30 minutes from where I lived.

Running
One step on from walking is obviously running. Again, it's free, it's fun, it's healthy and you'll find places in your neighbourhood that you've never seen before. Use www.mapmyrun.com to map out some new runs in your area.

Reading
Another great free activity is reading. Have a crack at that backlog of unread books on your bookshelf; tackle some of those mighty tomes that you've been meaning to read for years.

TV
Avoid it like the plague. If you feel like chilling out and watching something then pop down to the library and get a DVD or borrow one off a friend. Don't let yourself be sucked into a schedule which you yourself can't control. It's a trap, don't fall into it. If you find yourself slumped on your sofa at one in the afternoon watching Dr Phil or Oprah then you've got a serious problem and you need help!

Beaches
It's summer and the beaches are virtually empty on weekdays. Grab a book and head down to beach for a few hours. Obviously only applicable if you live near the sea. I live in Sydney within walking distance of the beach so I'm spoilt.

Dentistry
If you haven't had a checkup for a while now's the time to do it. Better to pay for a filling now than an expensive root canal in three months time

Car
As with the teeth if you have a car it's a good time to get it serviced. If there's something wrong then you want to know about it now.

Free stuff
Make sure you take advantage of all the free stuff around. Grace Jones is opening the Sydney festival with a free concert in the domain this weekend. If you don't like Grace Jones it doesn't matter because you haven't paid anything. Also, get on the Hoyts mailing list and pop along to some of the free movie previews.

Food
Obviously the key here is to eat out as little as possible. Save your eating out for when you want to meet friends. Make as many of your meals as possible.

Earlier this week I made myself a big stew. The ingredients cost about $25 and I reckon I'll get 10 meals out of it. This is the kind of food they queued up for at the soup kitchens in the 30's and it tastes as good now as it did back then. Vegetables are relatively cheap so make sure you eat lots of them. Buy a bag of carrots and make yourself a big batch of spicey carrot soup.

If you're going out for the day make your lunch before you go and take it with you. Today I made myself a couscous salad comprising half a cup of couscous, half a carrot, sundried tomatoes, beetroot, black pepper and olive oil. Dirt cheap, super tasty.

Eggs can also make a really cheap nutricious meal.

and finally...
I'm going to give one of those notoriously useless bits of advice. Keep your head up. There's no doubt that being made redundant sucks. Especially if you don't have much savings to live on, but you need to look on the brightside. Your life a canvass and for the last few years you've been focussing on one tiny detail and now a whole new area has been opened up to you. Start planning the next few years of your life. Set your goals and then worry about the money later. Be bold. Aim high.

Justin Townes Earle at the Annandale - revisited

2008-12-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I bought Justin Townes Earle's EP Yuma. I've listened to it about 10 times already. There are only 6 songs on it but there's more quality in those 6 songs than most performers can eke out of a few albums. The real standouts are The Ghost of Virginia and A Desolate Angels Blues which I'd argue are his best songs to date. The Ghost of Virginia is a train song which doesn't sound that exciting but both him and his dad have written beautiful songs about trains and this one stands up there with Texas Eagle and Train-a-comin'. A Desolate Angels Blues is just a beautiful song about dying in the vein of I am weary (let me rest).

Yuma in my opinion is better than his full debut album The Good Life. I wish I'd bought it before I went to see him. He played A Desolate Angels Blues at the end of his set but because it was the first time I'd heard it I didn't really appreciate it fully.

I don't think I heaped enough praise on him in my earlier post. This guy has serious talent and it was a real privilege to see him play in such an intimate venue. Whatever you do don't pass up an opportunity to see him.

Streetview New Zealand

2008-12-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Just trying out Streetview New Zealand. Beautiful country. Must go there sometime.

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Best place for a sing-along in Sydney

2008-11-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows a better place I'd love to know but for the moment my top pick is Shaylee Wilde at the Mercantile on a Friday night. (She also plays Sundays but I've never been). She plays a set of solid Rock, country and Celtic classics. Particular favourite of mine is the Pogues' Dirty Old Town.

Justin Townes Earle at the Annandale Hotel

2008-11-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Well I don't often swear on this blog but I'll make an exception now: Holy Fuck can this guy pick! As a bit of an amateur picker myself I was really blown away. In particular his version of Woody Guhrie's I don't know left me exhausted just watching him.

Justin Townes Earle - I Don't Know (Woody Guthrie Cover) - Layflats Festival 9.12.08 from Michael McCarty on Vimeo.

I can't name all the songs he played. (He only has a 10 track album to his name and he played for nearly an hour and a half so there was a lot of new material as well as quite a few covers). Highlights for me though were Lone Pine Hill (a bit of a Ben McCulloch tribute), My father's son(??), the final song that he dedicated to his grandfather and the very final song of the encore, Gram Parrson's A Song For You.

He has real stage presence. He's a towering figure as it is but he plays with his microphone really low so that he has to stoop to sing into it. His banter is a bit contrived but he keeps it brief and snappy between songs.

It's difficult to know where he goes from here. The funny thing is that I'm reading Hardcore Troubadour at the moment and it sounds like this was exactly how his dad started out as well, playing small venues solo. (Steve Earle obviously didn't have the benefits of a MySpace page and a famous dad). Like his dad he's a great musician and he easily commands the stage without any backing. Having said that it could only add depth to his music to throw in some bass and drums. Some female vocals would really add something as well. Maybe a fiddler.

Not all the songs are of quite the same standard and a lot of the swing numbers start to sound quite samey after a while even though they're immaculately played. It's early days though. As he writes new material he'll start to drop some of the weaker songs and his set will get stronger and stronger. Overall he's only going to get better. Next time he's in town make sure you don't miss him.

Note: he also mentioned Joe Klein's excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, my copy of which I annoyingly had to leave in an apartment in Tokyo.

Better write-ups can be found on the Flop Eared Mule blog and High Noon Saloon blog

Daddy, Goodbye Blues

2008-11-24T23:41:00.000-08:00

Saw Moorer plays this the other week and it completely blew me away.

Steve Earle at the Enmore Theatre

2008-11-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Well I went to see Steve Earle and Alison Moorer at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday and I have to admit that I was absolutely blown away. Steve Earle has been a favourite of mine for about five years now and this was the first time I'd seen him live. I was expecting him to be brash and angry which shows how little I know him. On stage his intelligence and unerring humanity really shine through. I spent two hours with him on Saturday night and in that time he completely gained my trust if that makes sense. As an unashamed right winger myself it's been the quiet persuasion of people like Earle who over the years have meant that I've only ever voted for the left.

He raised a few political issues during the show (as you would expect from Steve Earle). Many Australians over the last few days have been allowing themselves luxury of vengeful satisfaction over the execcution of the Bali bombers. Earle was understanding but also categorical in his rejection of capital punishment for any crime. Steve I'm with you. The Bali bombers could murder a million people and they still shouldn't have been killed. He explained his position clearly and compassionately and followed it with Ellis Unit One.

The arrival of a DJ on the stage half way through the set had a bit of the Electric Dylan controversy feel about it. I reckon the average age of the crowd was around 50 and there was palpable if inaudible nervousness as the turntables cranked up and the first beats came out. In the end though it worked brilliantly. Artists playing solo accoustic often have a tendency to let the tempo drop and indulge themselves in the sound of their owns voices. (Witness Disc 1 of Dylan's "Royal Albert Hall" concert; Mr Tambourine man is not a 9 minute song.) The DJ had the effect of keeping the pace up. Add to this the fact that Washington Square Serenade is quite a special album of songs even by Steve Earle standards and I was blown away by the whole DJ/guitar effect.

The highlight for me was the singalong with Steve's Hammer (for Pete). I haven't bought Washington Square Serenade yet so I hadn't heard this song. As a tribute to Pete Seeger and protest singing in general he couldn't have hit the nail more firmly on the head. It's still stuck in my head now

When the war is over/ And the union`s strong/ Won`t sing no more angry songs/ One of these nights I`m gonna sing a different tune

Other songs he played were Tanneytown which is a personal favourite of mine and one which I like to play on the guitar. I'm not sure that he quite nailed Tom Ames' Prayer but it's another favourite of mine so it was still great to hear him play it. Transcendental blues, a song which I've never quite warmed to, came into it's own when played on a 12-string. The Devil's Right Hand is one of my least favourite Earle songs and this performance didn't change my opinion. He also played what I think was a bouzouki on City of Immigrants, a song which has a particular resonance with an Australian (and especially a Sydney) audience.

The other highlight for me was Alison Moorer's cover of Ma Rainey's Goodbye, Daaddy Blues. That really blue me away. Normally you like to see the supporting acts keeping it snappy so that you get onto the main attraction but in this case I think I could have seen more of Moorer. In particular I would have liked to see her do a few more duets with Steve. My favourite Earle duet by the way is I'm Still in Love With You which contains the lyric "lonesome, wild and blue" which is going to be the title of the second volume of my memoirs. In fairness I'm not sure that it's the best song to sing with your wife given that it's about two parted lovers.

There was one nervous moment. After a duet with Moorer Steve said "I'm so over-married" as his wife left the stage. I've given him the benefit of the doubt and added the hyphen but it wasn't immediately clear how he had punctuated his sentence. From someone who's been married 6 times the ambiguous nature of the statement raised a few gasps from the crowd. Was he saying that he was over being married? Was he bidding his wife not just farewell from the stage but his life as well? I suspect not but she didn't reemerge for the rest of the perfomance so who knows.

To top the night off, once Steve had finished his encore and left the stage to (it's a cliche but I'll use it anway) rapturous applause, they played my second favourite song of all time, Can't You Hear Me Knocking by the Stones, to the departing crowd.

In the end the thing that I really took away from the show, perhaps more than his humanity, was just what a great musician Steve Earle is. His songs really come into their own when played solo and accoustic which can't be said for a lot of bands. You can see that he really believes in what he sings and it's that honesty that attracted me to his music in the first place. He played a two hour set mostly on his own and never once was the audience anything less than enthralled. I could easily have listened to him for another two hours.

2 reasons to go to Taiwan

2008-08-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

Taiwan isn't top of many people's lists of places to go. I went there in 2000 for about 5 days. I was working in Japan and was desperate to get away from the Tokyo/Yokohama megalopolis I was living in. One of my students had been stationed in Taiwan during the war and recommended it to me. In particular he recommended the National Palace Museum in Taipei which he claimed held over 1 million artefacts and held the largest collection in the world.

I'd recommend Taiwan to everyone for two things:

The National Palace Museum is staggering. During the Chinese civil war Chiang Kaishek boxed up the contents of the Imperial Museum in Beijing and moved it to Taiwan. The museum contains a cross-section of 4000+ years of Chinese history and art. Some of the craftmanship is just staggering (but that doesn't stop it turning up in plastic format in Hong Kong).
The other amazing thing I saw in Taiwan was Taroko gorge. I'm a big fan of hot thermal springs. The springs in Taroko were beautifully unspoilt when I was there. In particular one set of springs located in cave, next to the river at the bottom of the gorge. There's nothing quite as refreshing as lying in a freezing mountain river with boiling sulphurous water pouring over your head. I wish I could have got a photo but at the time I was too busy enjoying myself.

Snake alley in Taipei is also worth a visit if you feel you need a quick reminder of the savage cruelty which we humans mete out on the animal kingdom.

Here are my photos:

Taiwan 2000

City to surf times

2008-08-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

Just trying out the charts in Google Docs. Here are my City to Surf times for the last four years

Stand up, talk big, look forward

2008-05-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ever since I found out that Ian McEwan learnt his craft on a creative writing course I have been slightly wary of him. The snob in me says that writing isn't something that you can be taught. When I'm reading his books I have the nagging thought in my mind that I'm reading the product of a carefully programmed automaton. This view is purely based on ignorance. I've never tried writing anything longer than a blog post. (Most of my attempts to write novels never get beyond a page or two). All writers have to hone their craft; some do it wandering through depression era America; some do it in the deserts of Kuwait; and others do it at the University of East Anglia.

Anyway, after the big fuss over Atonement I thought I'd give him another chance so I borrowed Enduring Love from a friend and I'm halfway through it now. I'll save my review for when I'm finished. So far I think it's great. One passage in particular really caught my imagination:

For all that there is an uneasiness I have to conceal when I meet a child. I see myself through that child’s eyes, and remember how I regarded adults when I was small. They seemed a grey crew to me, too fond of sitting down, too keen on small talk, too accustomed to having nothing to look forward to.

It's a great little summation of what it is to be an adult. Perhaps that could be a motto in life or even a tattoo: stand up, talk big, look forward.

Interesting South and the art of the 5 minute speech

2008-05-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

One of the things I took away from interesting South last night almost more than the actual presentations was just how hard it is to fashion an interesting speech in 5 minutes. Lots of the speakers had real trouble keeping within the time.

My top three timekeepers of the night were:

1. Wade Millican of the Middle Way
As befits a Buddhist I suppose, Wade approached his 5 minutes with the utmost calm and concision. Aided by some simple slides he not only managed to explain what meditation is but also managed to give a few tips on how to do it.

2. Scott Portelli talk was simple and amazing. I'm probably not the only one who has now put swimming with humpbacks on my list of life goals.

3. Suzanne Dagseven's talk could have been run-of-the-mill but it's rare and exhilarating to hear people really talking from the heart. Who she is I don't know but what she said will stay with me for quite a while I think.

Those were the best timekeepers in my opinion but having said that I enjoyed all the talks. Gavin Heaton has a great summary of the night here. The ones which really stuck out for me were:

Tim Noonan's talk was possibly one of the funniest that I've heard in a long time.

For someone who likes diving into the waves Mark Bagshaw's talk was as cautionary as it was inspirational. It was a pity that he let it trail off into an anti-Howard rant; it was slightly out of keeping with the rest of the night I thought.

Stephen Collins spoke about Enterprise 2.0 which is something I feel very strongly about. A lot of the people I met in the breaks had some kind of involvement in enterprise wikis. It's comforting to hear people who think the same way as you. I really believe that Enterprise 2.0 is going to spark a great leap forward in business.

I think Michael Lister has the makings of a great book in the talk he gave on bus route design.

Zoe Horton's talk on genetic counselling finished with the question "How bad is bad enough?". I'd be interested to hear her answer to that or at least how she helps people make the decision.

When Tim Longhurst announced that someone from the audience would have to present Malaina Read's's pictures I had a momentary panic attack thinking that I might be randomly picked out by a spotlight. In the event Teresa Trevor did a great job as an impromptu stand-in.

Other thoughts:

I realised half-way through the night that my six word bio (Content but aching to be exceptional) didn't really make sense.

It's a pity it's only an annual event. I think it could warrant being quarterly or at least half yearly.

Ryan Adams at the Enmore

2007-08-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

I went to see Ryan Adams at the Enmore Theatre on Thursday night. Just been reading a few mixed reviews but I thought he was fantastic.

A minor talking point of the show was the lighting which resulted in a bit of bad tempered banter between Adams and a few people in the crowd. Adams and the band initially came on in semi-darkness and started playing. After a few songs the lights still had not come on. It was very dark. I've never seen Ryan Adams live before and I really wasn't sure where he was on the stage. At the start I thought that he might be sat at the keyboard (which later turned out not to be a keyboard at all but actually a slide guitar) but then it slowly became clear where he was. It didn't bother me too much although it is slightly odd to pay $70 and watch someone for almost two hours and have almost no idea what they look like. Some people started shouting 'Turn the lights on' which caused Adams to storm off at the end of the first set.

Despite this, the music was fantastic. The quality of the playing and singing was really high. I'll be making a point to see him again whenever I can.