News: Voiceworks

Hi y'all! I recently had my first non-fiction article published. It's called We the Bitchfaced, subject matter self-explanatory. It's in the current edition of Voiceworks magazine. It can be found in various book stores, but also online for your convenience.

Movies: The Hunger Games

Space-age Torvill and Dean

I'll spare you the review and merely ask, in regards to costumes: 'Whuh?'. How did dystopian future translate into formal-disaster slash futuristic figure-skaters in space? And, in the above scene, THAT HAIR. I flinched when I saw it. And why does Katniss wear so much yellow chartreuse? Is that a metaphor for her being fiery...like the liqueur...anyone?

And why is Lenny Kravitz in a film directed at Tweens? American Woman came out when the key demographic were about two.They should have gotten Willow "Whip My Hair" Smith to play Rue at least.

Co-worker

Culcher: Zhong Chen

I'm a little slow. Australian artist Zhong Chen has been making these excellent artworks for yonkers, and it's taken me till now to find them.
 

No, they're not terrible quality, they're supposed to be pixelated. I do like a good video game reference to. I love it how video games are becoming a part of cultural fabric, in the same realm as literature, music or movies. Well, slowly but surely, anyway.

Catch Up: Books Part 1

Okay okay so it's been a long...long..looooong time since I last posted. I've been to Melbourne, I've been to Sydney, I've been getting more and more terrified of catching up with my book posts. For the sake of brevity/sanity, let's make these reviews a series of buzz-words and adjectives. Okay, yes?

One for the linguist-nerds. Humans living with double-mouthed aliens in bizarro future-future time. Has some great sci-fi, but also some awful characters. Lead is an automaton with a penchant for sleeping with twins. Cold but satisfying.

Read to be culturally relevant. Idea is like the toothless, anti-communist spin on Battle Royale:

The parts I like most were the descriptions of the stylists making them over. Is it just me or is this both weird and unnecessary? Wouldn't Katniss be a little miffed about being all gussied up just to go gut some of her chums? And also, if style is so important, why do the outfits in the movie version look so blah?

Non-fiction book about two of Australia's foremost patrons of the arts. Visited their gallery in Melbourne; an elderly tour guide followed me around giving me the inside story. John and Sunday Reed supported the likes of Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd. Sunday had affairs with many of them. Both saucy and educational. 

Culcher: Marc Blake

This is the work of New Zealand artist Marc Blake, currently on show at the Michael Reid gallery in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney. A few more can be found here.

Moves: Melancholia

Okay so Melancholia, the latest film by Lars von Trier, does have an amazing opening sequence.

With its extreme slow motion and highly posed shots, it reminded me of the work by Russian collective AES+F:

Other than that and some very pretty shots, the film was a snooze. I couldn't relate to Kirsten Dunsten's character. I don't think I could relate to anyone who couldn't make a marriage to Alexander Skaaaaarrsgarrrd work.

:-(

Although you do get to see her goombas in a very painterly evening scene:

O O

So everyone's a winner. Except the world. Which ends. :-(.