Da Jia Gong Xi Fa Cai
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!
Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and Australia Day.
I was lucky enough to have a glorious Australia Day down at Sandy Point - it could not have been more perfect... oh, except for the lack of hunky lifeguard lying on the towel next to me! Chinese New Year up in Sydney was also a lot of fun, the usual culinary feast, followed by Taboo with the cousins afterward and movie the next day.
Here are a few photos (missing one from the beach, hope to have it for next post), and some more movie reviews. Oh, and a review of the concert I went to last night! Teehee!
Love g
xoxox
Paul, Rob, Tania, Matt, G & Geoff @The Fishy Pub, Fish Creek
Flight to Sydney
Pagoda where my grandparents ashes reside @ Woolongong Temple
The Gorgeous Amanda and Annabel enjoy the 'cups' of water at the Temple(apologies for the fuzzy photo).
CONCERT REVIEW
__________________________________
Backstreet boys – Never Gone Tour: 4/5
It was with trepidation and some embarrassment that I attended the Backstreet boys concert at the Rod Laver stadium last night, but last night showed why the Backstreet Boys are the ultimate boy band.
At first watching 30-something-year-olds doing boy-band dance moves was a great source of amusement. I think at times, ‘The Boys’ seemed to think this too. But Michael, you will be pleased to know that this groupie is still going strong and before long I was screaming and singing with the best of them!
There was a surprisingly a varied crowd, I was standing next to three guys who knew all the words. As the first beats of music blared through the speakers, the whole audience was on its feet and stayed like that for the whole concert. I have never seen anything like it at The Tennis Centre. Normally those not on the floor remain seated for most of the performance.
Playing a good mix of their new album and pretty much all of their Greatest Hits album, ‘The Boys’ whipped the audience into a frenzy until the stadium erupted in an almost ear piercing screamfest before the guys came back out for the encore.
The quality of singing was amazingly awesome and the dancing was suitably cheesy. Unlike some of the other teen bands I have seen (ie. Destiny’s child), there were no diva moments. At one stage a couple of the guys were down the crowd greeting the little people.
Dare I say, last night this Take That fanatic may have been converted.
“Backstreet’s back, alright!” Hahah.
_____________________
CINEMA REVIEWS
___________________
Brokeback
Cast: Heath Ledger (First Knight, Monster’s Ball), Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy), Michelle Williams (
In A Few words: Subtle and elegant, beautiful movie making – more for the ladies.
Synopsis: Two cowboys fall in love on
I don’t think I’ve ever been so hyped to see a movie, so it’s not surprising I was initially a tiny bit disappointed. With predictions for Oscar’s greatness (BM is most likely to win best picture and director) I was expecting to be crying buckets by the half way mark. Which is not to say it is a bad movie, far from it. For those who are worried about the guy on guy action, there is actually not that much of it - I say bring it on! Both Heath and Jake provide heartfelt performances, and despite Heath getting the Oscar’s nod, I tended to enjoy Jake’s performance more. Michelle is also good, and watch for Anne’s hairdo.
As we have come to expect, there is something truly beautiful and peaceful about an Ang Lee movie (the Hulk an exception), this one is no different. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the interactions between the characters are poignant, raw and believable. For some this will be a boring as hell movie (eg. My 3 male cousins – it’s more a chick flick), but for me the 2 hours passed quickly. Don’t expect to come away with a quick fix of emotional turbulence, rather expect to be affected. This movie stays with you, and grows on you long after the curtains have fallen.
Chicken Little: 3/5
Cast (voices): Zach Braff (Scrubs,
In A Few words: Fun & cute
Synopsis: Chicken Little cries wolf one too many times, and thus must save the world when no one believes that the sky is really falling down.
One of many in an inundation of computer generated animated cartoons hitting our screens this year. It’s a short movie, so the laughs come quick and fast and you can’t complain that it was too long. I enjoyed the many homages to other movies and songs, sure there were many I missed. The problem I had with Chicken Little was that it lacked the adult humour of a Shrek and also lacked the innocent fun of a traditional Disney movie – too middle of the road to be a classic.
DVD REVIEWS
Wedding Crashers: 3.25/5
Cast: Owen Wilson (Shanghai Noon), Vince Vaughn (Dodge Ball), Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), Isla Fisher (Home & Away), Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction, and a heap of other random stuff).
In A Few words: Ridiculous pretence, but very funny
Synopsis: Two friends crash weddings to meet girls, however when John starts to fall in love with Claire, the daughter of the Treasury Secretary, it all starts to go pear-shaped.
Enjoyed this a lot more than I had thought I would. Vince Vaughn is hilarious, and Owen plays the charming Casanova all too well. Kudos goes to Isla Fisher (Mrs Ali G) as Claire’s sister – ahh… one of ours (well… close enough). The montage of their wedding escapades is classic – boys, take note of the pick up lines!
Must Love Dogs: 1.5/5
Cast:
In A Few words: Almost watchable fluff.
Synopsis: Recent divorcee re-enters the dating arena at the behest of her family. The joys of internet dating services.
The idea was potentially comical, however the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The two lead characters have next to no chemistry. Lane does ok for what she has to work with. Cusak’s character is pretty flaky and annoying. Give me two-timer Mulroney any time!
A
Cast: Ashton Kutcher (That 70’s show, The Butterfly Effect), Amanda Peet (The Whole Ten Yards)
In A Few words: Average boy meets girl, boy can’t have girl movie. Great soundtrack.
Synopsis: Oliver and Emily join the mile high club on a one-off event. Over the next few years they keep bumping into each other, but circumstances would keep them apart.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t the total flop I thought it would be.
Similar to the Serendipity story line, this movie is nothing new, but the two main actors are sufficiently lost and angst ridden to keep you watching to find out: will they, won’t they, will they, won’t they? Gee, I wonder....
Peaches: 3/5
Cast: Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), Jacqueline MacKenzie (The 4400, Angel Baby), Emma Lung (The Cooks)
In A Few words: Good acting,
Synopsis: Teenage girl Steph, brought up by her aunt Jude, starts work in the town’s Peach factory under the watchful eye of the foreman, Alan. On her birthday she receives her mother’s diary, and through the stories of her mother, Jude and Alan, starts to see another side of herself.
New comer Emma Lung is refreshing as Steph, although for those who watched ‘The Cooks’, it takes a while to get used to the fact that she is not Argentinean! MacKenzie and Weaving are strong and intriguing as always. The story is interesting, but perhaps not completely engaging. Perhaps it is that none of the characters are particularly likeable. A good character piece nevertheless.
Never Been Kissed: 2.5/5
Cast: Drew Barrymore (ET, Charlie’s Angels), Michael Vartan (Alias, Monster-in-law), David Arquette (Scream)
In A Few words: Cutesy Romantic Comedy
Synopsis: Under cover reporter goes back to high school, forgetting how bad it was the first time around.
I know this is an old one – just felt like a Michael Vartan fix!
Vaguely amusing slapstick rom com. Drew Barrymore, playing ugly duckly “Josie Grosie” is her sweet self as always. For those who remember him, the popular guy of the school is played by Jeremy Jordan (singer – The Right Kind of Love)…mmm..yeah, he’s ok ; )… whatever happened to him? For the guys, check out Jessica Alba pre Dark Angel. For the rest of you, the next best thing might be David Arquette skulling a bucket of cafeteria coleslaw.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment