The large and the small of it

Vessels of the Royal Australian Navy steaming up Sydney Harbour on a grey Sydney morning.

Bridge

Tonight, 49.50%, 9/17

Suddenly Last Summer

Sydney Theatre Company

'Suddenly Last Summer' by Tennessee Williams. A widowed mother recruits a young doctor to perform a lobotomy on her niece to silence her from revealing the circumstances of her son's death. What secrets does she fear?

This is the third stage production in recent months in Sydney after The Glass Menagerie and Calpurnia Descending to utilise digital video to provide screen images of the performers during the theatrical presentation.

I didn't think either of the earlier productions was improved by the digital element but this time around the big screen provides powerful enhancement of the drama. The performances are top notch.

An excellent production.
★★★★

Cruise; day and night

On the way to the Opera House this afternoon.

Celebrity Solstice

Departing the Opera House two hours later.

Celebrity Solstice

My valentine

Enjoy Valentine's Day all my anonymous, and some less anonymous, readers. Maybe you will receive a hoped for card from that special someone. I'd be content with candy.

Valentine's Day has a significance for me but it has nothing to with love or admirers. In 1968, aged 18, I was struggling a bit after two years at University. On my father's advice I took what was intended to be a year away from studies and acquired a full time job. That job commenced on Valentine's Day.

I never went back to University. The job turned into an enjoyable public service career with the one employer from which I retired much the wiser and very contented 37 years later.

A fluke, or was it fate, proved a turning point in my life 47 years ago on Valentine's Day.

Capital punishment

Two young Australians face execution in Indonesia within the next few days. They are convicted drug traffickers. The Australian Parliament and prominent Australians have pleaded for the death sentences to be commuted. Indonesia's President has not heeded any of these pleas and appears immovable on the matter.

By all accounts the two Australians have turned their lives around in the many years they have spent in prison awaiting their sentence to be carried out. Their reform has been one of the arguments pleaded in their favour. Some in Australia, especially amongst those who have lost loved ones to drug usage, support the intended executions.

I can understand that view but I am not in favour of capital punishment. I wish that the Indonesian President would agree to commute the sentences. There seems no hope of that.

I am glad that our Governments - of both persuasions - have pleaded on behalf of these and other Australians who face execution. Perhaps if our Governments would use diplomatic channels constantly to argue against all executions - and not just those where Australians are involved - we might see countries which practice capital punishment changing their policies over time. Otherwise why should any country show clemency to Australians when they execute their own nationals with impunity?

What We Did On Our Holiday

I was looking forward to seeing 'What We Did On Our Holiday' which from the trailer I assumed to be inspired by, or an adaptation of, the television series 'Outnumbered'. In the film the family visit a grandfather in Scotland to celebrate his birthday.

The film has a similar premise to the television series. A married couple rearing three children who are struggling to reign in their boundless energy and incorrigible, havoc-inducing, curiosity.

But there are differences and these are not just the different set of performers. The family is a different family and whereas the television parents are a settled couple the parents marriage in the film is falling apart. There are also dark edges to the film especially the plot surrounding the grandfather and to a lesser extent the behaviour of the aunt.

These parents are not as weary as their television counterparts and the children are not quite as provoking with their impossible to counter child logic although are terrific young performers. On the plus side the film contains stunning scenery of the Scottish highlands.

A bit disappointing but it has its moments.
★★1/2

Bridge

Tonight, 44.40%, 14/17

Lincoln progress

Progress at the Lincoln Place development adjacent to my apartment building.

Yesterday

23 December 2014

Bridge

Tonight, 30.20%, 12/12

The Gambler

I have to admit that 'The Gambler' is a more interesting film than I was expecting. A compulsive gambler continues to dig deeper and deeper holes of debt even when he has the funds to pay them off.

As interesting as the film is, Mark Wahlberg portraying a college literature professor - like his character's gambling practices - is just one stretch too far.

Plenty of profanities but watchable nonetheless.
★★★1/2

Wild

'Wild' like 'The Theory of Everything', is a film that hangs on an outstanding portrayal of a real individual. Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed a woman who spent 13 weeks walking the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Washington state in a bid to find herself after a period of self destructive behaviour.

The film unfolds with frequent flashback sequences which gradually reveal the extent of Cheryl's fall from grace. The trek emphasises the size of her eventual triumph.
★★★1/2

The Theory of Everything

'The Theory of Everything' is about Steven Hawking, how he meets and falls in love with his first wife, Jane, the diagnosis of his motor neuron condition and how he and Jane deal with his deteriorating health.

The highlight of what otherwise is a somewhat dull film is the excellent acting of the cast with Eddie Redmayne outstanding as Hawking. The film is worth seeing for the performances and for its example of the power of the mind over the body.
★★★

Paper Planes

I believe that 'Paper Planes' is based loosely on true events. A young boy whose mother has recently passed away enters a paper plane competition and tries to enlist the involvement of his grieving and distracted father.

This film which is a bit elastic in its depiction of geography, distances and travel times is an appealing  entertainment aimed at young and early teenage children.
★★★

Bridge

Tonight, 45.10%, 10/15

They've got my number.....

My monthly credit card statement arrived yesterday. As always I scanned it for any irregularities and there it was. At the very end of the statement. Seven items that screamed out 'these are not mine'. Seven 'services' amounting to almost $500. Someone has used my credit card number. Not the card itself. That is in my possession. A clone card maybe. My numbers at the very least.

Within five minutes of opening the statement I was on the phone to my bank provider. The unwelcome news was that these irregular items are continuing into next month's statement currently accruing at the bank.

I've tried to think at what point my card might have been compromised but I can't readily identify one. There are some oddities about the rogue transactions one of which may involve New York. If you are thinking of visiting there - I'm looking at you, Andrew - be careful.

The card has been 'stopped'. Disputed transaction forms have been emailed to me, printed, completed, scanned and emailed back to the bank. A new card with a new number will be despatched.

It is all rather annoying.

I am curious, yellow

I've been taking a course of vitamins. They are intended for men aged 65 years and over. According to the label the vitamins help support men 'meet their nutritional needs and maintain general wellbeing'.

I don't feel any different taking the tablets. I have no idea if they have any effect on me whatsoever except in one respect. After taking a tablet my urine is a very distinctive colour. Yellow. Bright yellow. Very bright yellow.

Bridge

Tonight, 41.90%, 9/11

From time to time

Robert Allenby

Robert Allenby is an Australian professional golfer who is in the news at the moment for other than his golfing skills. Mr Allenby recently turned up one morning in Hawaii bruised and looking the worse for wear claiming he had been drugged and kidnapped from a bar and beaten by person or persons unknown. Later bystander accounts have provided different versions of events.

I'm not buying into which of the accounts is, or may be, the accurate one. That is none of my business. What intrigues me is Mr Allenby's consistent assertion that he has no recollection of events between 11.06pm and 1.27am. These are such precise times. Generally people refer to 'about' times. It seems to me that 'about 11pm or about 1.20am' is the more usual statement.

I wonder why Mr Allenby is so precise? Is that just his nature? Is this is a reflection of 21st century living with the increasing reliance on digital material such as smart phones and tablets?

Just curious.

A fresh nappy (diaper)

I don't blog about politics much. I'm not that passionate about the subject but mostly I can't be bothered. But last night a rather extraordinary thing happened. An almost certain change of Government in the state of Queensland. It is not the fact of the change that is extraordinary but the circumstances.

In 2011 the Liberal National Party won power in Queensland with Campbell Newman as its leader. The margin of victory, 78 of the 89 seats, was simply unprecedented. Generally huge majorities are thought to be bad for democracy. Governments with sizeable majorities tend to take advantage of that power and lose touch with the electorate through decisions of electoral benefit rather than electorate benefit. Generally the bigger the majority the more elections it takes for the electorate to eventually rid themselves of that Government.

With the size of that 2011 win it was assumed without exception it would take more than two elections for the ousted Labor Party - reduced to just 9 seats out of the 89 - to return to power. Well, Mr Newman and his party made themselves so unpopular it seems that their rule lasted just one term of Government. The party has almost certainly lost power to the Labor Party and Mr Newman has definitely lost his seat.

All of which supports the following theory.