Public Service Announcement

Politically I was raised in a home, which leaned towards the right. Opinions were never extreme and beliefs were considered rational and realistic. The left was never looked down upon unless it was absurdly far left. As us kids in the house all grew into young adults we were encouraged to form our own opinions and form conclusions based on what we personally considered to be the right thing. Having said that, it was never an overly political environment. We would make passing comments about stories in the news but never fully engaged in debate or argument.

            And so in my adult life while my overall view of the world is slightly from a right point of view, I would consider myself a swing voter. When it comes time to electing government I will vote for whoever I feel confidence in to best serve the interest of all. Whether that party is Liberal or Labor is irrelevant to me but it just so happens that at this point in my life Labor have never given me a reasons to support them.              

            As an observer with a whole range of opinions the one thing that I conclude is that politics is more fucked than it ever has been before. The political arena has become a public spectacle. Politicians ham it up for cameras; question time is a farcical parade of ego and insult and there is little difference between either of them right now. All political promises are pie-crusts that inevitably crumble.

            I might be proposing a simplistic solution to the government and coalition with the following advice but from a simpleton’s point of view it’s a winning strategy to regain confidence in your public. So to our country’s leaders I would like to extend this free piece of advice: When asked a question by the media, answer it directly instead of taking the opportunity to insult your opposition. When the other party actually does something good, congratulate them rather than scrambling for a criticism. Trust me, it wont be seen as a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength that you are decent. When you promise to deliver something (or NOT to deliver something) then stick to your guns no matter how unpopular it seems. Consistency and stability is what people want and flip-flopping is really fucking annoying, ok? Whether or not your decisions are right for the nation doesn’t matter so long as YOU believe them to be… the next election will be the judge anyway. When in session, get rid of the cameras. All they do is fuel egos and cause theatrical outbursts (even Mr Speaker is a wanker when the cameras are on). Politics are important so why are you all wasting time playing verbal ping-pong and talking so much shit? Seriously, students get detention for behaving like this in class.

            Hey Libs!! Hey Labor!! You both suck! Grow the fuck up and actually stand for something. I'm confident most of us feel the same.

            This has been a public service announcement.

99% Manifestation

            “We are the 99%”. That’s what protesters are chanting on the streets on Melbourne. What an absurd notion. The numbers on the streets are most certainly a minority and who are they to claim a position on behalf of everyone else? “Down with corporate greed” is another one… all the while tweeting and blogging via iPhones, Blackberries and various other corporately minded networking devices.

            It’s a morally admirable point of view to adopt but nevertheless a narrow sighted and unrealistic one. And what’s to be achieved by gathering in the city, camping out in squaller and disrupting the every day lives of thousands of honest, hard working lives (must be that pesky 1% so fuck them)?

            During the 1960s it was a powerful sign of solidarity and did indeed influence change. In those times it was the only way to show support in numbers… They didn’t have the internet…They didn’t have social networking websites… they didn’t have mobile phones… and so protesting in mobs in today’s modern society simply looks foolish and disobedient. We are now able to connect with the world with the click of a button and so why are these people wasting time on the streets when they could be forging change intelligently?

            Nevermind the fact the Occupy Melbourne (and affiliated protests elsewhere) protests are foggy in their intentions and hazing in their reasons, I question what many of them are doing there at all. The police forcefully removed a 12 year old boy which begs the question; what are children doing there at all? A political movement is no place for a child. Not only is it a dangerous environment when violence breaks out but a 12 year old does not have the capacity to process, comprehend and articulate such things. More likely the opportunity of such a protest is an excellent excuse to ditch school under the guise of a moral stance.

            It’s illegal to camp in the city and thus the protesters were deemed to be trespassing when they refused to move along. Naturally the police were ordered to remove people and so they did. Oh but then they’re accused of unnecessary force… err what? When you have a large group of people disobeying police orders and refusing to budge, well then how else would they be removed? I’ll tell you…you grab them and drag them away (like children). When a person resists then naturally the force is increased. The police were doing exactly what us tax payers (must be that bloody 1% again) pay them to do.

            In regards to the illegal camping I have heard people ask “who’s land is it anyway?”. That’s easy, city council’s! Idiots!! In fact it’s pretty much illegal to camp in most places without a permit. And if I were to litter the street with rubbish I would be fined… oh “but who’s land is it anyway?”. And then they start going on about traditional land owners and all that crap… which bares no relevance to their actual protest and thus highlights the absurdity of it all.

            “We are the 99%” they chant while physically representing a puny minority. While the rest of us (the millions of 1%) sit at home and call them ferrels.

A Father's Legacy

My biological father was a douche and as an adult I can proudly declare that I inherited very few things from him. I've become my own man.... HOWEVER.... the one thing that's been bequest upon me is my love of bacon sandwiches. 

In the early years I spent with him on his allocated weekends I was often awoken to that mind altering smell of crispy bacon. He would cook it under the griller (non of that fry pan shit) which would turn the rind into a delicious crackling that snapped and crunched in your mouth. Cooking bacon this way as opposed to frying is a practice I carry forth today and will pass along as life ticks by. What a legacy to leave a son, eh? The art of cooking bacon!

His house was located on a lake and there was a marina close-by, which had all kinds of shops, cafes and restaurants. I recall vividly as 10 year old how I desperately wanted to share my passion for bacon sandwiches with the world. The thought of opening my very own bacon sandwich restaurant was constantly on my mind. The menu would consist of a variety of sandwiches, all of which were bacon. Crispy bacon, short cut bacon, Canadian bacon and even ham. I would provide a whole selection of breads ranging from multigrain to sourdough but of course the chef's recommendation would be a simple white bread. 

Of course I grew older and matured into the man I am thanks to my step-father who I consider to be my real dad. He taught me the essentials in life from riding my first bike to managing finances (still struggling with that one) but the one thing he didn't teach me was the art of a bacon sandwich. THAT skill and devotion is thanks to that sperm donor who knew how to cook that shit up!

HOLY BAT NIPPLES!

(first written in Oct 2010)

 Fellow movie nerds, the story you are about to read will upset you. It will unnerve you and it will disgust you.

I woke up this morning to every film geek's worst nightmare. I could hear George Clooney's voice from the other end of the house. And then I heard Chris O'Donnell's voice followed by Alicia Silverstone's. I thought to my self "no. no, it can't be". I made my way down to the other room to find my step son sitting on the couch watching Batman & Robin. Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

I tried to keep my composure. "Why didn't you watch the first 3 Batman movies before this one?" I asked. His response greatly disturbed me. "Because mummy said this one was the best" he replied.

Oh my God! ... Oh.... my..... God! Not only is it the worst film of the franchise but it's also one of the worst films of all time! At this moment a sudden realisation struck me. It was apparent that I had a lot of undoing ahead of me and a whole re-education of the Batman legacy and the importance of watching things in chronological order.

My movie world was rocked this morning. Things may never be the same again!!!

A Lost Art

What’s happened to the art of movie posters?

Promotional material for films used to be creative, artistic and engaging. Right up until the late 80s most poster art was hand drawn... from the silent era of Birth of a Nation to modern classics like Jaws, The Goonies and Star Wars...

These days we’re suffering boring, mundane and generic posters. I'm in Australia where the quality is far worse than anywhere else and you only have to check out the region 4 dvds of Just Friends, You Me & Dupree and Georgia Rule to see what I’m saying.

So what does this say about us? Have we come to a point in evolution where we accept mediocricy as a standard? (this spans a lot of mediums) It’s concerning that bland stamping of poster art is appealing to people. I mean surely its working otherwise the marketing department wouldn’t do it, right!?? A friend of mine directed a film a few years ago and shopped it around at festivals with some really creative artwork. When he eventually sold the film to Fox they insisted that the point-of-sale artwork be dumbed down in order to sell. The result was hideous.

Am I alone?

I mean sure, there ARE some awesome posters out there... but generally speaking its pretty damn crap! The cinemas and video stores are plastered with meritocracy.

Fear & sadness... the neglected emotions.

Have you noticed that kids are getting softer? Of course I'm getting older and that whole “when I was you're age” thing is kicking in... during the 80s there was no closer relationship than that of my mum's wooden spoon and my arse.... these days that's child abuse. Weekends saw me out the door at first light and I only came home for lunch... these days its about loafing on a couch and playing video games. To venture outside is a real effort for heaps of kids these days.

And what ever happened to kid movies? Gone are the days of genuinely enthralling adventures, excitement and suspense. Remember going to the movies when you were a kid and seeing the Goonies being chased by gun wielding maniacs? Or how about feeling the sheer terror of G'mork (the ferocious wolf) in The Neverending Story? Add to that list, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and countless others.

The world had changed since then... we are faced with war, poverty, terrorism and climate change on a daily basis. The world is a scary place to raise a child right!??

I believe kids are far too protected from some of life's more important lessons. We teach them about love and compassion and yet we shelter them from fear and sadness. I believe these are two fundamentally important aspects to a well balanced upbringing.

Family/kids movies are a large part of my video store's demographic. Mums come in looking for a quick fix to shut their kids up. It is amazing how many parents shelter their kids from anything that's borderline scary (even Scooby fucking Doo). One mother told me last week that her belief is that “we need to keep them kids for as long as possible” and with that her 10 year old daughter was too frightened to even look at dvd covers such as Aliens In The Attic or Jumanji. Thats some seriously disturbing shit if you ask me. Must we wrap our kids in cotton wool?

Over the past decade the quality of kids flicks has degenerated dramatically. These days the studios are pumping out carbon copy movies like Madagasca, The Wild, Over the Hedge and Surf's Up… and they get away with it because today's kids are nonethewiser and protected from the important stuff.

Of course there are exceptions and I have seen some brilliant family films over the past few years but sadly the majority of them slip right under the radar (Mirrormask, Millions, Seconhand Lions, Alabama Moon.. etc).

It's time to toughen kids up. Let 'em eat dirt and let 'em have nightmates and don't stress about the short term consequences. You're the parent and it's your job to nurture these fears... but trust me, in the long term the kids will be stronger for it!

Rules of Remakes

The past decade has seen Hollywood remakes running rampant. They’re like a virus, spreading every day & squeezing the life out of audiences. Don’t get me wrong because I am not opposed to the concept of a remake… I just reckon that certain consideration ought to be given. They've existed for eons... Hell, even Hitchcock was remaking his own movies.

My biggest problem with the recent spate of remakes is that they’re systematically erasing history. Some very important films have been remade and for each one there's a new audience of kids who will probably never know of the originals. A good example of this was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). When this was released in my video store most of the kids renting it had NO IDEA that Tobe Hooper’s original even existed. This was cause for concern. The original TCM is a monumental film and possibly one of the most influential of the past 50 years. It reinvented an entire genre, it changed the way people looked at cinema and forged a path for filmmakers to come…. It stands alone and I don't see any valid reason (other than money) to remake it.

And so I want to impose 3 of my own unwritten rules when it comes to remaking movies. Studios take note:

1) If the original film holds a legacy or a big significance in our culture, then it should not be touched.

Some culprits of this are: Psycho, Rear Window, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Planet of the Apes, City of Angels, Get Carter, The Wicker Man, Nightmare On Elm St… and so on. You get the point.

2) If the film in question has poorly dated, is widely unknown or was received poorly then it CAN be remade.

Some examples of this rule are: The Thing, True Grit, Scarface, Cape Fear, The Fly, 3:10 To Yuma, Red Dragon, The Departed… and so on.

3) Reboot instead of remake and work it so that the film acts as a continuation at the same time. 

A good example of this was the Friday The 13th reboot and Piranha 3D. Both films established a story which acts as a spring board for newcomers to the series and all the while maintaining a credible continuation of the original series.  

So as you can see there IS room for Hollywood to remake old films. The problem is that they’re not remaking the right ones. Instead they are pumping out carbon copied movies that insult (rather than honour) their original counterparts. As each generation comes along those old films are forgotten and legacies are lost.

Perhaps you think I am being a drama queen, or maybe you agree with me? Whatever the case I would love to know what you think and perhaps hear what kind of rules you think need to be set!