Gig Guide: Music soothes the savage beast

This past weekend was the very awesome Splendour in the Grass festival in my old stomping grounds of Queensland. Since I no longer live in the Sunshine State and also did not possess eighty five million dollars to afford tickets to go to the festival, I have been partaking in a number of sideshows the bands have been kindly doing throughout the rest of Australia. Last week it was The Kills (Alison Mosshart, my girl crush on you remains strong) and this week I'm off to see my old faves Gomez.

Growing up in a small town in QLD didn't really give me many opportunities to see live music. Or have good taste in music really. In fact until I was 13 and discovered Triple J, my shameful musical jaunts included a John Farnham concert with my Mum (I'm still scarred for life at the ladies throwing underpants at him), and a teeny-boppery outing to see Aussie one hit wonder girl-band Girlfriend.

But in the last 10 years I have managed to see a number of very cool bands, and have used my increasingly useful barge-arse skills to gain prime front-of-stage positions at festivals and gigs alike. My default New Year's resolution is to see as many bands as I possibly can.

These are just a few of my memorable gigs:

Muse - Livid Festival 2000

One of many times I've seen Muse live, cough seven times, this one holds a special place mostly because it was the first time I saw them. At this stage they were a fairly unknown group touring on their first album, playing a side stage at the now defunct Livid Festival, while bigger groups Green Day and No Doubt had the masses gathered around the main stages. And while I've seen them play much bigger and better - even with their rather pretentious last couple of albums - Muse sure have always known how to put on a show.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - 2011

Yeah, so I'm fairly certain I somehow joined a cult after seeing this gig. Lead vocalist Alex (he of the Charles Manson slash Jesus looks) came down into the crowd during the encore and then got half the audience on the stage and the rest of us sitting on the floor while he led us all in a Kumbaya styled rendition of one of their songs. Afterwards when everyone was going up to give him high-fives and hugs, I found myself going forward as well until I realised that I wasn't actually at a cultist revival meeting.

The Swell Season - 2009

What a voice Glen Hansard has!! A big fan of The Swell Season after watching the movie Once, I was blown away by their live concert. When there is just a man and his guitar (with no amplification) filling a huge cavernous theatre with his big voice on the song Say It to Me Now, it's simply something special to behold.

The Dead Weather - 2010

My one and only chance to see the legend of Jack White in concert (sob, I never got to see The White Stripes). Coupled with the mesmerising Alison Mosshart, these two just oozed charisma and awesomeness.

Reading Festival - 2006

My big festival outing while I lived in the UK, memorable for a number of reasons:  

• Another Muse show under my belt
• The beginning of my love affair with The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen O, with her knee high converse sneakers with flames going up the sides, OWNED that stage)
• Almost dying of claustrophobia in a very enthusiastic Arctic Monkeys crowd (who scarily knew every single word to ALL of their songs)
• A full can of something indeterminable being thrown at my head (I choose to remember it as being beer).

How about the rest of you? What have been some of your favourite live music experiences?

I can't believe you haven't seen... TV edition

Confession time. I’m only now, for the first time, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’ve borrowed the DVD’s from my friend Kylie, who has been in love with the show for as long as I’ve known her. I’m really enjoying it, but have a feeling I might have appreciated Buffy more when it was first on TV, in its original context, spoiler-free and fresh. As proud as I am that I “liked Arrested Development before Fox canned it”, I’ve also been a johnny-come-lately fan of many classics:

Deadwood

Completely missed it. I blame Australian television programmers. Not my fault.

Fringe

I’m not too late, Fringe hasn’t been cancelled, but I’m only now getting on board. I love its X-Files-style mythology that is thus far not too confusing. And that last scene of S1? Wow.

Breaking Bad

Watched 3 seasons in 2 weeks. Where do I collect my award? Bring on Season 4! I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for so long… ahem.

The Wire

I don’t feel too bad about this one. Everyone missed it the first time around. Society's fault.

Over to you, readers! What shows are you (maybe shamefully) just discovering for the first time?

Pop Culture Smackdown!! The Battle of the Superhero Movie Trailer

It's that time of year again. The Blockbuster season is almost upon us. And this year is no different from any other - prepare yourself people - we are about to be inundated with a shitload of superhero movies.

This year there are no less than 5 superhero movies coming our way. But which ones should we be watching? We all know how these things go - the story either follows a normal guy or gal who has some kind of life-changing event and decides to use the opportunity to kick ass and take names, or it's an alien/mutant creature who by some contrived reason is the only person who can save the world. Most of them are derived from comic book lore and have an army of devout fans slaving over their every detail on the internet.

Considering that I have never read any of the source material, have limited prior knowledge to most of these stories and am basing my judgement solely on the trailers released for each of them, I present to you my uneducated guess at which ones look to be worth your time and money.

Which superhero trailer will prevail?

Thor

Director:  Kenneth Branagh

Cast:  Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg.

Part of the Marvel Universe, you might recognise Thor from the post-credit teaser in Iron Man 2.  In fact Thor is part of whole universe of superhero movies that tie into next year's event film The Avengers.  In this particular movie, we get the origin story of the warrior Thor, whose reckless actions on his home planet reignite an ancient war and get him cast down to Earth to live amongst us disgusting humans.  He, of course, then has to save us from the evil aliens.

Top 20 Rom Coms: The Last 25 Years

In Part One of this list of Top 20 Rom Coms, we explored the origins of the genre, its first 50 years from 1934 – 1984. Now we complete the list with the best of the last 25 years. See how things have changed, or stayed the same (that all important chemistry between the leads!), and let us know what you think in the comments below!




Working Girl – 1988

I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?

What it’s about: When a secretary (Melanie Griffith) has her idea stolen by her boss (Sigourney Weaver), she seizes an opportunity to steal it back, teaming up with an investment broker (Harrison Ford) and pretending she has her boss's job.

Why it’s great: Mike Nichols’ Working Girl is a perfect 80s rom-com. As Roger Ebert explained of its plot: “the problem with working your way up the ladder of life is that sometimes you can't get there from here.” The story still resonates today, and compliments the great performances, including baby-voiced Griffith’s breakout role.

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When Harry Met Sally... 1989

I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

What it’s about: Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) have known each other for years, and have become great friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Why it’s great: For me, When Harry Met Sally... is the perfect romantic comedy, and another personal favourite. It’s not just the ever-essential chemistry between the leads, which Ryan and Crystal have to spare; the movie covers all the rom-com musts with a true originality, converging perfectly: the witty script, the lovable “best friends” (Bruno Kirby, Carrie Fisher), the real stakes and conversations about relationships between men and women, and the grand gesture at the end. Perfect.

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Say Anything... – 1989

What I really want to do with my life - what I want to do for a living - is I want to be with your daughter. I'm good at it.

What it’s about: A noble underachiever (John Cusack) and a beautiful valedictorian (Ione Skye) fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.

Why it’s great: Let’s face it, every girl wants a Lloyd Dobler, and John Cusack’s superb portrayal of the passionate and honest high school graduate in Say Anything... leaves us in no doubt of his love for Ione Skye’s Diane. Peter Gabriel never sounded so good.

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Pretty Woman – 1990

I appreciate this whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure thing.

What it’s about: A ruthless businessman (Richard Gere) needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute (Julia Roberts). They take a liking to each other and he offers her money if she'll stay with him for an entire week.

Why it’s great: Pretty Woman started what would become a slew of rom-coms throughout the 1990’s. Perhaps none is more famous than this, the launching pad for Hollywood sweetheart Julia Roberts and her mega-watt smile. A classic in the genre.

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Sleepless in Seattle – 1993

Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.

What it’s about: The son of a recently-widowed man (Tom Hanks) calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner. Newspaper journalist Annie (Meg Ryan) becomes infatuated with his story.

Why it’s great: Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are terrific, and the tribute to the classic “An Affair to Remember” is perfectly evoked in this Nora Ephron gem. Playing at our ideas of destiny and fate, Sleepless in Seattle is romance in its most precious form.

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Four Weddings and a Funeral – 1994

A toast before we go into battle. True love. In whatever shape or form it may come. May we all in our dotage be proud to say, "I was adored once too."

What it’s about: Following the fortunes and various weddings (and a funeral) of a group of London friends, Charles (Hugh Grant) thinks he's found "Miss Right" in Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American.

Why it’s great: I cannot watch Four Weddings and a Funeral without wishing Charles had just ended up with his bestie Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas). That’s the power of Four Weddings… it’s very, very British, and so it follows that we’d want our main man to end up with the girl that, well, he doesn’t. Bucking trends, it’s the friends in this film that provide the real romance and comedy.

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My Best Friend’s Wedding – 1997

Getting what you deserve is totally unfair.

What it’s about: When Julianne’s (Julie Roberts) long-time friend (Dermot Mulroney) announces his engagement to another woman (Cameron Diaz), she realizes she loves him herself, and sets out to get him with only days before the wedding.

Why it’s great: My Best Friend’s Wedding stars the queen of the rom com, Julia Roberts, and has probably one of the most satisfying “didn’t get the get the girl/guy” endings in movies. Instead, Julia ends up with her gay best friend George (Rupert Everett). So much more rewarding than the original ending, which had her with another potential boyfriend.

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10 Things I Hate About You – 1999

Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?

What it’s about: A remake of the classic Shakespeare play "The Taming of the Shrew” set in a modern day high school.

Why it’s great: Starring the late Heath Ledger in his first big American role, 10 Things I Hate About You is a clever adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. Julia Stiles is a true original, playing the part of Kat as though the Bard had her in mind when he wrote the prickly part, and she and Ledger have chemistry to burn.

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Bridget Jones’s Diary – 2001

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.

What it’s about: A single woman (Renee Zellweger), determined to improve herself as a New Years resolution, keeps a diary while struggling with her feelings for her caddish boss (Hugh Grant) and a disagreeable acquaintance (Colin Firth).

Why it’s great: Bridget Jones’s Diary is a modern classic, based on Helen Fielding’s bestseller. The imperfectly perfect Bridget, played with confidence and fantastic humour by Zellweger, quickly became a modern day heroine. With Grant and Firth along for the ride, the movie has real wit and pathos, while maintaining all the personality of the book. Who hasn’t had a Bridget moment?

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50 First Dates – 2004

I've never even met you.

What it’s about: Henry (Adam Sandler) meets Lucy (Drew Barrymore), and thinks he's finally found the girl of his dreams, until he discovers she has short-term memory loss and forgets him the very next day.

Why it’s great: Like many a good rom com pairing, Sandler and Barrymore have worked together several times now, both maintaining a warm and truthful screen presence when they team up. 50 First Dates and its Hawaiian setting are delightfully romantic and, although unlikely and also featuring Rob Schneider, holds up to repeat viewings.

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The Proposal – 2009

Margaret, will you marry me? Because I'd like to date you.

What it’s about: A pushy boss (Sandra Bullock) forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. To keep up the ruse, they head to Alaska to meet his family.

Why it’s great: Bullock and Reynolds seem like a new, hot rom com pairing. Both are wonderful in The Proposal, a heart-felt and genuinely funny addition to the genre. Reynolds has perfect comic timing, and Bullock’s screen presence must be the envy of her peers.

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Top 20 Rom Coms: The Early Years

The all-powerful and knowing Wikipedia describes romantic comedies as “films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles”. That sounds about right. There is definitely an art to the successful romantic comedy. It’s the most predictable of film genres, but when done well, you won't notice that. Good romantic comedies have you laughing (or crying) into your popcorn and feeling content as the credits roll, like you’ve spent the evening with friends. When compiling this list of the first 50 years of romantic comedies, I was surprised at how many number among my favourite movies. Check out my list of Top 20 Rom Coms: The Last 25 Years, but before that, let us know what you think in the comments below!

It Happened One Night – 1934

Perhaps you're interested in how a man undresses. You know, it's a funny thing about that. Quite a study in psychology. No two men do it alike..

What it’s about: A spoiled heiress (Claudette Colbert), running away from her family, is helped by a man who's actually a reporter (Clark Gable) looking for a story.

Why it’s great: Considered by many to be the first romantic comedy, It Happened One Night is also surely one of the finest. The convoluted plot set the tone for many romantic comedies to come. Colbert and Gable have fantastic chemistry, and the quick wit of the script today seems ahead of its time.

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His Girl Friday – 1940

- There's been a lamp burning in the window for ya, honey... here.
- Oh, I jumped out that window a long time ago.

What it’s about: A newspaper editor (Cary Grant) uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife (Rosalind Russell) from remarrying.

Why it’s great: Two words: Cary and Rosalind. Cary Grant makes another appearance on this list, and if all things were fair, so would Rosalind Russell. These two are sparky and funny, both real naturals in the genre. Lucky, as His Girl Friday is one of the first films to feature characters speaking over the top of each other, testing their talents. Both pass with flying colours. Robert Altman, eat your heart out.

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The Philadelphia Story – 1940

The time to make up your mind about people is never.

What it’s about: When a rich woman's (Katharine Hepburn) ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a tabloid-type reporter (James Stewart) turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

Why it’s great: Full disclosure: The Philadelphia Story is one of my all-time favourite movies. It’s brilliant: funny, sexy, with a uniformly flawless group of actors, perfectly cast. Its cracking script is full of those moments that make you think “I wish I could come up with a response like that!”. Aside from the incomparable trifeca of Hepburn as Tracy Lord, Grant as CK Dexter Haven, and Stewart as Macaulay Connor, The Philadelphia Story features some of the best supporting players in movies: Ruth Hussey as the earthy Miss Imbrie, Ronald Young and his perfectly delivered one-liners as Uncle Willie, and Virginia Wiedler as Tracy’s precocious younger sister, Dinah.

Key Scene: "Seems the minute she hit the water, the wine hit her."


"Someday... over the rainbow..."


Adam’s Rib – 1943

No matter what you think you think, you think the same as I think.

What it’s about: Domestic and professional tensions mount when a husband (Spencer Tracy) and wife (Katharine Hepburn) work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband.

Why it’s great: For proof that Hepburn and Tracy were simply on fire whenever they were together, look no further than Adam’s Rib. It is perhaps the most successful of the nine films the couple made together over 25 years; their off-screen relationship lasted just as long. A must for any good 1940s romantic comedy is razor-sharp dialogue delivered at a lightning pace. It took real chops to pull it off. Look no further than Adam’s Rib for evidence.

Key Scene: "Licorice. If there's anything I'm a sucker for, it's licorice."


Tracy and Hepburn at their best


Pillow Talk – 1959

I've had hangovers before, but this time, even my hair hurts.

What it’s about: A man (Rock Hudson) and woman (Doris Day) share a telephone line and despise each other, but then he has fun by romancing her with his voice disguised.

Why it’s great: Another consummate romantic comedy pairing (hey, if the chemistry is there, why mess with it, right?), the perky Doris Day and knowing Rock Hudson combination was a winner for sure; the pair made three movies together. Pillow Talk is Day and Hudson at their cheeky, bedroom comedy, best.

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The Apartment – 1960

Ya know, I used to live like Robinson Crusoe; I mean, shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand, and there you were.

What it’s about: CC Baxter (Jack Lemmon) tries to rise in his company by letting its executive’s use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance with elevator girl Fran (Shirley MacLaine) ensue.

Why it’s great: Another personal favourite, Billy Wilder’s The Apartment shows a maturing of the romantic comedy genre, with real stakes (depression, loneliness) and consequences among everyday players in the Big Apple. MacLaine is not your average romantic comedy foil, and her quirkiness matches perfectly with Lemmon’s everyman in a careful balance between farce and melancholy.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s - 1961

It's useful being top banana in the shock department.

What it’s about: A young New York socialite, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) becomes interested in a young man (George Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building.

Why it’s great: This somewhat watered-down adaptation of Truman Capote’s best seller features a breathtaking Audrey Hepburn in perhaps her most famous role (apologies to My Fair Lady). Holly Golightly is so shining and iconic that it’s easy to forget about Peppard’s Paul (shame), and Mickey Rooney’s Mr Yunioshi (thankfully).

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Annie Hall – 1977

Honey, there's a spider in your bathroom the size of a Buick.

What it’s about: Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) falls in love with the ditzy Annie Hall (Diana Keaton), we trace the course of their relationship from their first meeting.

Why it’s great: Annie Hall is my favourite movie. It’s funny, clever, and truthful, and won Best Picture at the Oscars, beating Star Wars. A unique and inventive look at relationships in New York City in the 1970s, the film mirrors the real-life connection between its lead actors. Annie Hall is a true original in the romantic comedy genre; it is cynical and bold, and doesn’t end traditionally with the leads together, happily ever after. Unsurprisingly, it’s the only 1970s film to make this list. Times were changing.

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Romancing the Stone – 1984

-You're the best time I've ever had.
-I've never been anybody's best time.

What it’s about: A romance writer (Kathleen Turner) sets off to Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure with a soldier of fortune (Michael Douglas).

Why it’s great: Romancing the Stone is a rollicking chase movie that I simply adored when I was younger and it was on TV. It’s fun and funny, silly, and a little bit naughty (well, at least when you’re 8 it is). Turner and Douglas are wonderful, and as is a theme with this genre when there is undeniable chemistry between the leads, Romancing the Stone marked the first of several times the pair would team up on screen.

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Top 7 TV Opening Credits

Every TV show has opening credits – some are flashy, some are entertaining and most are downright boring. Watching the new Aussie comedy/drama Offspring the other week (which I am enjoying by the way), I was struck by how much I didn’t like their opening credit sequence. As a cutesy bubble-pop song plays, the main actors jerkily spin in a myriad of poses as if they are characters seen through a viewfinder. The whole thing just seemed a bit too twee. To me, a good opening credit sequence is one that does more than just slap-bang a few clips of the show together with a current pop music fave – it’s a gilded invitation to join the show’s universe. It’s one where no matter how many episodes I watch in a row while DVD marathoning the show – I will always watch the opening credits.

These are a few of my favourites:

Mad Men

An awesome homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Mad Men’s opening credits are almost dreamlike – the slow, languid pace of the businessman falling surrounded by skyscrapers with reflections of period advertising posters and billboards.  We can all relate to those dreams of falling which are meant to express our suppressed anxieties, our feelings of being out of control and overwhelmed.  This is what Mad Men is all about – that loss of control and identity – and in a decade where everything about the world was changing.   Plus they can’t go wrong with a final image of dreamy Jon Hamm’s shoulders casually slung across the back of a couch can they!

True Blood

Definitely the best set of credits for a currently running program; True Blood’s have even been nominated for an Emmy.  Created by Digital Kitchen, the production studio also responsible for the awesome credits for Six Feet Under and Dexter, True Blood’s opening sequence is steeped in Deep South imagery and plays around with the contradictory ideas of innocence and menace that go hand in hand with the themes of the show.  The whole thing really just leaves you with a feeling that things just ain’t right – sex, violence, horror, life, and death all wrapped into one.  And those maggots!  Shudder!

The iPod Files: Guilty Pleasure Songs

We all have guilty pleasure songs, those songs that come on the radio and have us screaming the lyrics or playing air guitar in the privacy of our cars or homes, but that we’d deny even knowing if questioned. But what about those songs that actually make it onto your iPod, or CD? The ones that are such guilty pleasures, that as embarrassed as you are, you just need to hear them?

Having grown up in a family of music obsessives, my taste in music can be best described as “eclectic”. That’s a nice way of saying if my iPod were to be studied by a group of psychologists, I’d hate to think what they’d make of my personality. I choose to embrace the eclectic-ness, and as such, I’ll give just about anything a listen. But there is a secret shame, lurking within my iPod and just waiting to explode as soon as “shuffle” is hit. The songs that have me at once questioning my taste, and secretly tapping my toes and singing along. So, from my true iPod playlist, I give you my Guilty Pleasure Songs! Please share yours, or let us know what you think, in the comment section below.

Heaven – Bryan Adams

The lyrics are lovely, the tune is catchy, and I’ll defend my love of this song to my grave! But really, Bryan Adams? Oy.

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) – Phil Collins

I love Peter Gabriel, and he’s well represented on the ol’ playlist. But it’s the “less cool” former Genesis member, Phil Collins and this schmaltzy hit from some film called Against All Odds that makes my list for pure guilty pleasure purposes.

Don’t Rain On My Parade – Barbra Streisand

I absolutely adore Babs, she’s like buttah , and I recently discovered that a big fat dose of Don’t Rain On My Parade on my way to work in the morning actually has me smiling in the endless peak hour traffic. “I’m gonna live, and live now!” And before you ask, yes, I think I am a gay man at heart.

We Don’t Need Another Hero – Tina Turner

Tina’s song, from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, takes itself very seriously. And so should you. It’s awesome.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

I defy anyone to hate on this Cyndi classic. I remember being obsessed with the video clip that aired during the ABC's Afternoon Show with Michael Tunn. Old school.

I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness

Power rockers The Darkness never took themselves very seriously, but I love this guilty pleasure hit like a heart attack.

Slice of Heaven – Dave Dobbyn and Herbs

Yeah, it’s a Kiwi song that makes us think of Footrot Flats. But it’s so damn catchy! The chorus of men – altogether now! “Ba da da, boom boom, ba da da, boom boom…”

Jolene – Dolly Parton

Dolly wrote this song about some skank who wanted a piece of her man. She’s begging Jolene not to take him. As if he could choose some skank over Dolly!

Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran

So, this Duran Duran hit is apparently about the personal goings-on between a man and a lady who love each other very much. It’s becoming a theme, but … CATCHY tune!

Rocket Man – Elton John

I remember David’s men’s chorus singing this on Six Feet Under. Strange lyrics, guilty pleasure song.

Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley

Suspicious Minds does that ploy of not ending when you think it has. Tricky! Favourite part: “All that our love survived…” That’s true pain in the Kings voice.

I Did It My Way – Frank Sinatra

Let’s face it, Sinatra basically talks his way through most of his most famous signature song. Still, what a great signature song it is.

Baby One More Time – Britney Spears

Oh baby, baby, how was I supposed to know that I’d love this song?

November Rain – Guns N Roses

Power ballad. YES. Remember Slash’s guitar solo outside the church in the desert, with his electric guitar plugged into… nothing?

You Can’t Stop The Beat – Hairspray

Love it. “The motion of the ocean and the rain from above!” You Can’t Stop to Breathe if you try to sing along to this modern Broadway classic though.

Don’t Stop Believing – Journey

Screw “Glee”, Don’t Stop Believing was a guilty pleasure song long before the fictional show choir’s (also terrific) take. Best use of the Journey classic: Last scene of the Sopranos.

One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head

“Bangkok, Oriental setting, and the city don’t know what the city is getting”. Murray Head is kind of rapping in this most famous song from “Chess”, right? Gold.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon

Apparently written as a rhyming game for his young son, this Paul Simon hit is nowhere near his best song, or best lyrics, but it’s a guilty pleasure all the same.

Umbrella – Rhianna

I love Umbrella like a fat kid loves cake. Plus, the lyrics are nice. That qualifies, right?

Okay, now it's your turn kids! Comments below.

Coming Soon: 5 must-see movies on a screen near you

I am addicted to watching movie trailers. My friends always joke about this time we were going to the movies, and I may or may not have been driving slightly over the speed limit just so I could get there in time to see all the trailers. And now I have the internet enabling my addiction by having trailers up as soon as they are released. It’s a vicious circle. 

Here’s just a few I’m excited about.

The Social Network

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones

With Facebook recently reaching its 500 millionth user, and founder Mark Zuckerberg becoming the youngest billionaire in history – now comes the story of how the whole crazy thing began. 

When is too much TV not enough? Top 10 Most Addictive TV Shows

The question on everyone’s lips at water coolers all over the country this week has not been ‘so – who will be the next Australian Prime Minister’? But – ‘who do you think will win Masterchef’?

Am I ashamed to live in a country where a televised federal election debate gets moved around for the final of a reality TV show? Certainly not. And I actually find politics interesting, like any news junkie worth their salt does. BUT I WILL NOT BE TORN AWAY FROM MASTERCHEF.

If I had to choose, I would certainly rather watch Masterchef than watch Julia “I’m an atheist and proud of it’ Gillard and Tony “Budgies” Abbott go at it on live TV.

As it turns out – it’s win/win. I get to watch the debate first and then Masterchef. I can be a concerned citizen and TV junkie all without the guilt.

But it’s not just Masterchef I’m obsessed with. There are certain TV shows out there, that I watch or have watched religiously, to the point of obsession – and I know I am not the only one. Yes, you know who you are. What did we do with our time before TV shows came out on DVD???

My obsession started when I commuted an hour to work and my fabulous friend with impeccable taste, Amy, introduced me to HBO. It wasn’t long before I was dreaming about Tony Soprano hunting me down and wondering every day – ‘What would Carrie do in this situation??’

So here is my list of the Top Ten Most Addictive TV shows

1. True Blood – the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic southern waitress who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton. Add lots of blood, sex, hot vampires, werewolves and shape-shifters into the mix and you’ll be addicted in no time!

2. Six Feet Under – a dark and emotional look at a family in the funeral business struggling after the death of their less than perfect father. Human mortality is a big theme, but also family conflict and sexuality, coupled with some amazing acting.

3. The Wire – this series focuses on the city of Baltimore and the conflict within the city’s many facets; the illegal drug trade, the port system, the government, the school system and the media. Heavy stuff, but tackles some amazing socio-political themes.

4. Sex and the City – the lives and loves of four New York City gals; Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. Groundbreaking with its frank discussion about sex and love.

5. The Sopranos – the crime, cavorts and Italian traditions of the New Jersey mafia. It centres on mobster Tony Soprano and the conflict between his criminal life and family responsibilities.

6. Masterchef – amateur cooks battle it out on TV. Who would have thought it would be so addictive??

7. Big Love – a fundamentalist Mormon and his three wives live secretly as polygamists in Utah. It’s three times the family drama!

8. Lost – follows the survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island...nothing is as it seems in this series. Just when you think you have it worked out – damn it! Another twist!

9. The Tudors – the life and wives of England’s King Henry VIII. It’s a graphic look at the King and his famously lavish royal lifestyle. There’s nothing refined about the sexy and often violent story of the Tudor dynasty.

10. Dexter – focuses on Dexter, Miami police blood splatter analyst by day, serial killer by night. The show revolves around Dexter and his efforts to hide his dark, dark secret.

So, I may be weeping next Monday night when Masterchef is over and done with for another ratings period – but never fear – Farmer Wants a Wife is back soon my friends!

Which TV shows can’t you live without? Which ones make you yell at the TV screen for ‘just one more episode’? What would make your Top 10 Most Addictive? Comment away!

Top 15 Emotional Movie Moments

 
Hi, my name’s Amy and I am a big fat cry baby. I don’t cry at anything and everything, but the stuff that has me weepy is sometimes surprising, always varied, and often kind of strange. But by far the most tear-inducing entity for me is movies.

As Toy Story 3 has grown men bawling in the aisles, I share now my Top 15 Emotional Movie Moments (with links!), in no particular order:



Gene Kelly sings in the rain – Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

This one is kind of a no-brainer when you’re giant musical nerd, like me. This moment, more than any other in film history (I do declare), is. Just. So. Freaking. PERFECT. It’s a moment featuring everything a good musical should aspire to – Gene Kelly’s character, Don, is so in love with Debbie Reynolds' Kathy, that he just has to sing and dance about it. There’s simply no other way to express his love. This is what musicals are all about: emotions so overwhelming that there is nothing left to do but sing. Bring on the tissues.

Elliot flies with ET on his bike – ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

This one has a special place in my heart – ET is the first movie I really remember watching as a kid. I watched it with my Mum, and most of it went well over my head (I was confused and scared by the scientists), but in that very same sense, you can’t deny the genius of Spielberg. Go ahead, watch ET again. It’s from the perspective of a child, even filmed at their lower eyeline, with adults not making a whole lot of sense. Amazing. And this moment, accompanied so beautifully by another brilliant, swelling, John Williams score, is enough to put a lump in the throat.

Paikea's speech for her grandfather - Whale Rider (2002)

This is how much little Pai’s (Keisha Castle-Hughes) speech in Whale Rider gets me weepy – I just cried watching about 5 seconds of the clip on YouTube. This extraordinarily touching New Zealand film, about a 12-year-old girl struggling to become the chief of her Maori tribe, contains some of the most honest and raw acting I’ve ever witnessed on screen. There are many weepy moments (not least of which is Pai actually riding the whale near the end of the film), but this one, as Pai speaks of her deep respect for her grandfather who has not shown up for her school concert, gets me every time.

Jenny dies - Forrest Gump (1994)

There were several moments from Forrest Gump I could have picked here too – Bubba dying, or Lieutenant Dan diving in the ocean as he makes his peace with losing his legs, for example. But Jenny (Robin Wright) passing away, leaving Forrest with little Forrest, is a powerhouse of great understated Tom Hanks acting (in a movie where, let’s be honest, understatement is not the name of the game). *tear*

Why didn’t you write me? - The Notebook (2004)

The one chick flick that everyone agrees on, there are many moments from The Notebook that could get the tears flowing (the ending!). But this scene, with terrific performances from Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling (it’s easy to see how the pair was a real-life couple after filming this), is sexy, heartbreaking, and uplifting. Finally, Noah and Allie admit their love and can be together. What a payoff.

One Hand, One Heart - West Side Story (1960)

One Hand, One Heart is my favourite musical song, and conveniently features in my favourite musical, West Side Story. Tinged as it is with humour and sadness, as though Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer) are all too aware of their fate, this is the last happy moment the pair will truly share. Maria and Tony’s “wedding”, accompanied by that gorgeous Bernstein and Sondheim score, has me in a ball of tears. “Only death will part us now...”


The end - United 93 (2006)

It’s hard to believe sometimes that Paul Greengrass pulled off this harrowingly realistic (we imagine) portrayal of the events onboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. But he did, and there’s never been a film quite like it. Featuring a docu-drama approach, some “characters” playing themselves, and overlapping, realistic dialogue, this final scene of the passengers trying to take down the highjackers, had me crying more than I ever had at the movies. Heartbreaking.

Juno and her dad at the hospital – Juno (2007)

Sometimes I think moments in films make us emotional simply because they’re so true. Juno has a sparky, Oscar-winning script showcasing terrific dialogue from Diablo Cody, and a remarkable breakthrough performance from Ellen Page. But it’s this moment, without any clever or knowing dialogue, that breaks my heart. Juno’s behaviour and chilled, charming demeanour as she navigates the very adult world of pregnancy, divorce, and adoption makes her a true original, but the immeasurable drain of her experiences are perfectly captured when she lets her dad (J K Simmons) be just that.

The opening montage – Manhattan (1979)

Manhattan has the most perfect beginning of any film, in my completely biased NYC-loving opinion. Aside from a voice-over from Woody Allen’s writer Isaac Davis, the opening sequence has little bearing on what follows. It’s simply about a love for the Big Apple. Set to the rousing perfection of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, Allen undercuts flawlessly with iconic images of the city he adores so much. Cue chills up my spin.

The horse Artax dies in the Swamps of Sadness - The NeverEnding Story (1984)

This one had me bawling as a kid. I remember my poor parents having to explain to my sister and I that in fact, the horse was just an actor, and that it hadn’t really died. Still. “He has to give me a new name. He's already chosen it. He just has to call it out.”



Tears turn to laughter - Steel Magnolias (1984)

Steel Magnolias is a big fat emotional chick flick, and I love it. It gives several female powerhouses, including Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah, and Olympia Dukakis, the chance to shine. And none more so than in the scene following Shelby’s (Roberts) funeral. As Sally Field’s M’Lynn runs the gamut of emotions over the death of her beloved daughter, a perfect comic break involving the testy Ouiser (MacLaine) will have your tears turn to laughter, just like the ladies onscreen. Sublime.

Thomas J’s funeral - My Girl (1991)

There are a few character deaths on this list, and nothing guarantees tears like a funeral. Thomas J (Macaulay Culkin) is allergic to bees. You can guess how he dies. One of the screens most emotional goodbyes as Vada (Anna Chlumsky) rushes up to Thomas J’s casket, her childlike denial as heartbreaking as her friend’s death.

The water comes on - Schindler’s List (1993)

Harrowing. Schindler’s List, the second Spielberg film to make my list, serves up the emotion and horror of the Holocaust thick and fast. But no moment stays in my mind as much as when the train carrying the Jewish women is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz. The women are taken to what they believe to be the gas chambers; only to weep with joy when water falls from the showers instead. We weep right along with them.

Dumbo visits his mother – Dumbo (1941)

Another perfect Disney moment, this one about mums. Dumbo’s mother gets angry when her son is being picked on by a group of boys for his big ears, and is declared mad when she goes on the (elephant) defensive. She is locked up, and poor Dumbo is shunned. His new pal, Timothy Q. Mouse, takes Dumbo to visit his mother, and although she’s locked up, she manages to rock her baby with her trunk as “Baby Mine” plays. A perfect, tender moment.


The execution scene - Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Dancer in the Dark is a sad story before it's sadder ending: Selma (Bjork) is a Czechoslovakian immigrant, a single mother working in a factory in rural America in the '60s. Her salvation is her passion for classic Hollywood musicals. Selma is losing her eyesight, and her son Gene stands to suffer the same fate if she can't put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbor falsely accuses Selma of stealing his savings, the drama of her life escalates to this tragic finale. The Hollywood-musical breaks aren't enough to save Lars von Trier's film from my list, or from its truly distressing conclusion.

So that's my list for now! What are your Top Emotional Movie Moments? I've left plenty out so we'd love to hear what you think! Get commenting!