Friday, January 25, 2013

Australia Day 2013

 

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More Places I Would Like To See

 

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Just For Fun 25 January

 

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More Actual Newspaper Headlines!

 

  • Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66
  • Autos Killing 110 a Day, Let's Resolve to do Better
  • If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly it May Last a While
  • War Dims Hope for Peace
  • Smokers are Productive, but Death Cuts Efficiency
  • Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
  • Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
  • Child's Death Ruins Couple's Holiday
  • Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad She Hasn't Seen in Years
  • New Housing for Elderly Not Yet Dead
  • Man is Fatally Slain
  • Fifth Graders get to Grill Lions

A Gary Cooper Moment

 

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Gary Cooper, Los Angeles, 1940

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Cool Images 25 January

 

Black and White

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Movie Review ... Bait

 

bait posterMovies featuring great white sharks are forever compared to ‘Jaws’.  Such is the power of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic anything following would be examined under its shadow.  ‘Bait’ gamely treads this path by giving a new twist to the formula.  Made at Australia’s Gold Coast, the locations are suitably lush and the acting is reasonable.  It’s the shark and horror everyone wants to see however with the nautical beastie wreaking chaos that would make ‘Jaws’s toothy shark proud.

After a Tsunami hits a coastal town its inhabitants are left shell-shocked.  None more so than a group of people trapped in a supermarket filled with rising water.  Among them are Josh (Xavier Samuel), Tina (Sharni Vinson) and Kyle (Lincoln Lewis).  Battling against the elements they are further stunned when a massive Great White Shark enters the fray.  Terrified by this new addition their day becomes worse with their survival instincts the only thing saving them from certain death.

Directed with some creative flair by Kimble Rendall, ‘Bait’ is an exercise in pure exploitation.  There’s a certain market for such a genre film who will no doubt view this with eagerness.  It provides the exact amount of scare and gore one expects.  Mixed in with the confines of the supermarket’s enclosed interior, it shows how some human characters can be just as shocking as those from the depths.  These elements could have worked had the script not been so clichéd but generally succeeds as a scare-fest.

The ‘fun’ in such a production is guessing who survives with which ‘Bait’ effectively plays.  That matches its ghoulish nature with the special effects and make-up going into over-drive.  Much like some of the performances these sequences are hit and miss with some very poor moments descending the plot into sheer ridiculousness.  Thankfully Rendall is careful not to slide the B-Grade material too much into hammy camp as the story creaks towards an explosive finale.

‘Bait’ doesn’t pretend to be the greatest Aussie movie made but is a decent shocker.  It’s perfectly fine for what it is even if it doesn’t enhance the Great White Shark’s reputation any further than Jaws did decades ago.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  6

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick about his Movie Review? Then please use the comment box, titling your comments with Movie Review Bait

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia.

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Trivia Bits 25 January

 

  • Out of the seven ancient wonders of the world, the only one still standing is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
  • The music of one particular band is played by a Tribute Band.
  • Whilst competing in the 1976 Olympic Games Princess Anne was knocked unconscious whilst competing in front of her mother Queen Elizabeth II.
  • The longest river in Italy is the River Po 652 km (405 mi) or 682 km (424 mi) including Maira.
  • Novem is the Latin word for nine.
  • The 12 Zodiac astrological signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
  • A biannual event occurs twice a year.
  • According to the song, Molly Malone sold cockles and mussels on the streets of Dublin .
  • A Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is a butterfly named by Lord Walter Rothschild in 1907 and is restricted to the forests of Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.
  • An ocular contusion is better known as a black eye.
  • A dodecahedron shape has 12 faces.

LORNA LUFT: SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME (2007)

 

LORNA LUFT SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME

Lorna Luft pays tribute to her mother Judy Garland with an incredible CD bursting at the seams with songs Judy sang. This truly IS an album of songs that Lorna's mother taught her both at home in the 1950s and later on in the 1960s when they occasionally did concerts together. Indeed, the entire CD, the liner notes, and all the sweat, labour and planning reflect an enormous amount of love and affection Lorna still has for a mother whose memory she holds so dear. Lorna cares a lot about her mother's legacy so much to have produced such a marvellous tribute CD to Judy.
Although this is not a live recording of Lorna's tribute show to her mother, Lorna delivers these songs flawlessly with the same loving care and honest emotion she exudes in her tribute shows.
The CD begins with a recording of Judy Garland herself singing "Lorna;" and then Lorna comes in to sing songs including "Chicago;" "I Feel A Song Coming On;" "Rockabye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody);" "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" and so much more. Garland fans will notice that these are, of course, all songs that Judy sang often. In addition, I also like how Lorna interjects a bit of conversation with her daughter Vanessa and her son Jesse about how she wishes they had known their grandmother Judy. Lorna describes Judy in such a loving, sweet way that anyone would want to meet Judy Garland.
The musical arrangements lack nothing, either. The "Garland Overture" sounds just as strong and dramatic as ever, even if it's been tweaked slightly here and there. The musical accompaniments for Lorna's songs serve to bolster her performance without ever stealing the spotlight from Lorna as she sings. It's truly very well done.
The liner notes give us great photos of Lorna with just a handful of the numerous people who worked to make this album a reality; and the artwork impresses me. The quality of the sound is excellent.
Of course Lorna Luft fans will want this CD in their collections; a CD from Lorna is long overdue. Lorna sings very well and she performs beautifully throughout the album. Judy Garland fans will be touched by Lorna's loving tribute to her mother; and the CD will be very, very enjoyable regardless of whether or not anyone's seen Lorna's tribute show to her mother of the same name. This is not a live album; but I point that out merely to describe the album further--this studio album is every bit as enjoyable as Lorna's stage tribute to her mother.
Very few superstar mothers have a talented daughter so devoted and loving that decades after they're gone their daughters turn out tribute albums to them. Then again, however, who else but Judy Garland would deserve this fine honour? "Celebrities" may come and go; but there will never be another superstar like Judy; and Lorna knows that. That is why Lorna made this CD with extra love and care that shows through in Lorna's timing when she sings and Lorna's interpretations of great ballads including The Man That Got Away.
Track Listing:
1. Lorna/Minstrel Girl
2. I Feel A Song Comin’ On
3. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody)
4. Mother Daughter Medley
You’re Nearer
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
Through The Years
5. Chicago
6. The Man That Got Away
7. Come Rain Or Come Shine
8. Born In A Trunk (medley)
9. Shining Star/Over The Rainbow
BONUS TRACKS
10. Carnegie Hall Overture
11. Hello Bluebird (2007)

Vintage Magazine … Motion Picture

 

Motion Picture was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977. It was the first fan magazine.

Motion Picture - June 1930

Rita Hayworth on the cover of Motion Picture Magazine, October 1941

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Quotables 25 January

 

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

It’s Only A Paper Moon

 

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Just For Fun 24 January

 

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LINDA EDER: BY MYSELF THE SONGS OF JUDY GARLAND (2007)

 

LINDA EDER BY MYSELF

Linda Eder fans know that Linda could sing "twinkle twinkle little star" and blow us all away with her pure and vibrant voice. This CD tribute to Judy Garland is poignant and heart warming...clearly an act of admiration for Judy's work which resonates with this singer.

The original song " The Rainbow's End" really speaks to the highs and lows of a great singer and Linda does a breathless performance. Linda's version of "Over the Rainbow" is haunting and touching. Strongly recommended knowing that Garland fans would embrace this great tribute to a great singer.

Track Listing:

1. By Myself
2. Almost Like Being In Love/This Can’t Be Love
3. Me and My Shadow
4. I’d Like To Hate Myself In the Morning
5. It Never Was You
6. Zing! Went the Strings Of My Heart/The Trolley Song
7. The Boy Next Door/You Made Me Love You
8. The Rainbow’s End
9. Do It Again
10. Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody
11. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows/Over the Rainbow

Movie Clichés … Time Vortex

 

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How often have you seen something like this:

Phone rings. Hero/Heroine picks it up. "Hello. Yes. O.k. Right. Thanks, Goodbye." (Total elapsed time on phone: 5 seconds.)

Hero/Heroine turns to other character: "That was John. He says that the Marilyn left for the lawyer's office about an hour ago, and she should have been there by now. He's called the lawyer's office but Marilyn apparently never got there. He also called Bill's, thinking she'd stop by there, but Bill hasn't seen her. John says he's going to call Anne, as Marilyn said she and Ann were going to go shopping sometime today. If she's not at Anne's, he's going to call the police. He suggests that we drive over to Mario's and check with him as to whether or not Marilyn told Wally about the statue. However, he thinks this is unlikely as Marilyn doesn't trust Wally, she only trusts us and Fransisco. John also suggests we try to get in touch with Fransisco . . . ."

Movie Review ... Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

 

DOG DAYSBased on a series of novels by Jeff Kinney, the ‘Wimpy Kid’ movies have been hit and miss.  Fortunately for the author they haven’t been so bad as to harm book sales.  Given this third entry is much better than the abysmal second he should feel professionally satisfied.  Not that it improves on the good first outing, ‘Dog Days’ at least has a more coherent story on which to hang its adolescent antics.

Greg (Zachary Gordon) looks forward to a stress-free summer.  Sadly this never eventuates. With his older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick) and best friend Rowley (Robert Capron) around he has a difficult time catching the attention of Holly (Peyton List) a fellow class-mate.  Whilst dealing with this dilemma his father threatens to send him to a strict school and also buys him a new dog.  With so many things circling his orbit, Greg has his work cut out to survive the holidays in one piece.

The ‘Diary’ movies are meant to provide diverting entertainment for the pre-teen market.  Mostly this latest chapter succeeds with David Bowers’ direction conjuring an amiable outing.  Its best asset is its mixing of various themes amongst the mayhem.  Issues of responsibility, relating to others and growing up are effectively shown without being too preachy.  How they are mixed with the comedy and drama is one of the series’ interesting aspects which ‘Dogs Days’ does well.

Adding to the fun is a fine cast comfortably embodying their characters.  Gordon makes for a likeable lead with his character’s unique world-view well conveyed.  His interaction with the strange group of people he meets is consistently amusing and no matter how outlandish some sequences may seem, his performance brings genuine believability.   He is well served by a fairly decent script mostly avoiding the episodic nature ruining the last film with its quirky humour still intact.

Apparently this is the final movie in the series which is a shame as ‘Dog Days’ corrects many of the second’s mistakes.  The series goes out on a high however with the original author’s words successfully transported from page to screen.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick about his Movie Review? Then please use the comment box, titling your comments with Movie Review Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia.

Official HomePage click HERE

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Lucy and Her House Boys

 

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Here's Lucy and her house boys singing "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House". From 1968

Cool Images 24 January

 

Hands say so much …

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Portraits From String By Pamela Campagna

 

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Pamela Campagna is a graphic designer from Italy who has come up with a series of portraits that is truly innovative. Mainly consisting of threads and nails, her works are a symbolic expression for the networks she has created with the motifs they display – mainly of people she knows, like friends and family.

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