Recent viewing

American-Iranian B&W vamp flick "A Girl Walks..." is like early David Lynch, except coherent. I loved it.

"The Realm" is a truly gripping Spanish political thriller.

"Goonies" appears rougher around the edges and less appropriate for children as the years pass. Still charming, however. Did you know people make pilgrimages to the filming locations? A former workmate's older brother did it. He also collected every "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. A man after my own heart!

[Seen on: Kanopy, Disney+, Netflix, DVD, SBS On Demand.]

Confessions of a "D&D" nerd

My good buddy RS gave me these limited-edition American lollies. 

They are strong. I was only able to eat a small amount of each (they'll take me weeks to get through). As I did so, I thought about what "Dungeons & Dragons" modules they evoked.

The candies were very sweet yet also kind of refreshing, making me think of "S2 - White Plume Mountain", a dungeon crawl with three mighty weapons to bag, and in which all manner of strangeness can be encountered. It may have been my favourite adventure to DM as a teenager.

The gummies, chewy and tart, were harder work. They brought to mind the "Dragonlance" modules. I didn't own any of those, but pals did. The problem was they only purchased some, and out of order at that. Although we knew the novels well, we struggled to reproduce key scenes at the gaming table. When things deviated too far from the original story, we didn't like it.

We wouldn't have approved of this entry ending with a pic of a slow loris.

Recent viewing

"Day Of The Doc" a rewatch. It's 76 minutes long and screened in cinemas, so I'm counting it as a film.

"The Mitchells Vs The Machines" is the winner among this lot. Sweet, funny, original, anarchic and with EXCELLENT animation.

If you want a well-constructed thriller that plays fair, try "No Exit".

[Seen on: Disney+, Prime, DVD, Netflix, Netflix.]

Luck of the bounce

When a bouncer denies someone entry or asks them to leave, that tends to be that. Like sporting referees, these security enforcers aren't known for changing their minds. There are rare exceptions, though...

I was once asked to leave a pub because I'd "had enough to drink". Musta been wobbly. I took it calmly and walked downstairs and onto the footpath with the bouncer, explaining I'd have to wait around because I couldn't get home without my non-drinking friend inside to drive me. Incredibly, the bloke let me go back in on the condition that I didn't buy any more beer. "I'll be watching you," he warned. I obeyed and everything was fine.

Another time, we were at the casino and RB had a craving for Macca's. He left to grab a bite, then returned to find the bouncer wouldn't allow him through the door again. R.'s solution was to go into a nearby gents, reverse his coat, slick back his hair and basically tidy himself up. He made it through the door on his second attempt. OK, so that wasn't so much a bouncer changing his mind as not recognising the fella he'd turned away.

LA told me about an occasion when he was either denied access due to white trainers or knew he would be, so he hid 'em in a bush and successfully entered the venue in black socks. I can't recall the specifics. I think it involved him joining a group so his feet weren't conspicuous. Again, not a bouncer relenting as such. Did I say "rare exceptions" plural? Maybe it's only happened once in human history - and I was the lucky person!

Recent viewing

"Adrienne" is about a unique acting/writing/directing talent taken too soon - just before her biggest success was to occur, to make it even more tragic. It's partly a true-crime doco but mainly a tribute to her life and work by the adoring family, friends and colleagues she left behind. Contains glimpses of quirky projects that might have been, and goes to at least one place you likely won't expect. Thought-provoking, upsetting, creatively inspiring, and just something rare and special. Like its subject. To be honest, I only clicked play because I remembered Adrienne Shelly from those Hal Hartley films she did at the beginning of her career, which sister AC and I - then well into our indie phase - thought were amazing. I'm very glad I did.

[Seen on: Foxtel, Prime, $2 DVD, Disney+, Kanopy.]

Six of the best: "The Voice"

I like watching clips of musical knockout show "The Voice" from around the world. Norway seems to have the most talent, but we punch above our weight in Australia, too. Every country offers something different and it's interesting seeing which styles/songs play better where. My least fave version of the program is probably the American one. Dunno why. I must admit, I dig the judge reactions almost as much as the performances. If you watch enough vids, you get to know the panels well.

I don't bother with "The Voice Kids", although sister AC is a fan and claims many youngsters are as tops as their adult counterparts. Nor am I really into "The Voice Senior". It doesn't click with me, presumably because I'm not the target audience - yet! I did enjoy "The Voice Generations" here in Oz and actually tuned in to the television broadcasts. But 99% of my following of the various incarnations of "The Voice" is done via YouTube. Here are half a dozen of Addster's all-time favourite acts -

1. "Mother And Father", original song by Bukhu Ganburged ("The Voice Australia"). Indescribably beautiful. If I was an actor about to do a sad scene, one viewing of this would get the tears flowing. The reactions to the Mongolian throat singing are also fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iKV-54DL7w

2. "The Power Of Love", Frankie Goes To Hollywood cover by Maan De Steenwinkel ("The Voice Holland"). A track I've always loved. She nails it and the crowd goes berko. Maan's now a pop star playing to packed arenas. She'll feature in an upcoming blog entry... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7Z1oNlNlg

3. "Lose Yourself", Eminem cover by Vincent Vinel ("The Voice France"). I never tire of seeing this champ, who is blind or close to it, confuse and then absolutely slay the judges. The typically animated Mika is even more animated than usual. As covers go, it's genius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9oZZzLr3BU

4. "Bruises", Lewis Capaldi cover by Natan Dagur ("The Voice Norway"). This dude was bullied out of singing by peers, until being entered in the comp by his brother(?). He hadn't previously been on stage. Some folks just possess a gift. Matoma cries, Ina swoons, Addster applauds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDZCiShiY04

5. "Ghost Walking", Lamb Of God cover by Stefanie Stuber ("The Voice Germany"). You can tell the guttural death-metal vocals horrify some of the refs. Then they hear a powerful melodic rock voice - and realise the singer is female - and end up being won over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vadw5zGw9KE

6. "Feel It Still", Portugal The Man cover by Erlan Baibazarov ("The Voice Ukraine"). There have been ace loopers from a number of nations. I had to include one here. Skip to the 1:20 mark. When Tina Karol dances out of her seat, that's the ultimate compliment :-)

Keep watching as the panel joins him for an impromptu jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCEFTo9u5Po