Comfy Cat

On yet another 40 degree day in Perth, one cat is keeping cool on his water mattress. 

(This is not a paid endorsement !)

Gizmo's Favourite Recent Tv

[Luke's note: Gizmo was asked to supply a top ten tv list for 2021, but being a sleepy cat, his perception of time is a little hazy. So technically some of these shows are actually from 2020.]

• The Mandolorian - who doesn't love 'baby yoda'?

• Mare of East Town - Kate Winslet and brilliant storyline

• Futureman - hilarious time travel series for fans of the Terminator, Back to the Future, the '80s (think Miami Vice)

• Only Murders in the Building - Steve Martin and Martin Short and a fun New York vibe

• Frank of Ireland - crudely funny

• The Looming Towers - brilliant rendition of the lead up to 9-11 with great cast, including Jeff Daniels, Alec Baldwin

• Cardinal - good storylines and wonderful scenery in this Canadian detective series

• Anneke - love her monologues and to camera asides, not your run-of-the-mill crime series

• Chernobyl - moving and inspiring

• True Detective - loved all three series - clever dialogue, great acting

• Halt and Catch Fire - love this insight into the 1980s computer industry

• Valley of the Boom - as above, but with more crazy, fascinating

 

My Cat's Top Ten Movies of 2021

 As is traditional, Gizzie cat likes to share his favourite films for the past year.

10. The Last Leonardo - fascinating documentary about a disputed painting, which some experts believe to be a work of Da Vinci - hilarious but true behind the scenes film about the workings of the international art market

9. The Courier - 'true' story of a British business man recruited by M16 to infiltrate Russia - excellent and inspiring cold war story

8. De Gaulle - richly depicted biographical film, contrasting De Gaulle's love for his daughter, who has Down's Syndrome, with the Nazis' massacre of so many considered genetically impure. Inspiring, though not quite as good as recent films about Winston Churchill.

7. French Exit - Michelle Pfieffer is brilliant. Funny and absurdist comedy set in Paris, with unexpected turn from the cat.

6. Truffle Hunters - beautifully filmed documentary about a small traditional community of truffle hunters, their relationships with their dogs, and the increasing impact of capitalism on their lifestyle

5. Pig - loss and grief saturates this superbly acted film - Nicholas Cage and Adam Arkin are both brilliant

4. Death of a Ladies Man - charming, poignant; Gabrielle Byrne is brilliant

3. Promising Young Woman - powerful, clever and darkly humorous and disturbing story of revenge

2. Don't Look Up - witty comedy about how politicians, the media, the general public react to news of the apocalypse, be it a plant-killing comet, covid19, or climate change - stay for the early credits for final scene  [Editor's note: Gizzie likely intended to write a "planet-killing comet"]

1. Nomadland for the gorgeous cinematography and poignant depiction of life on the road for those with limited economic choices

Top Ten Movies of 2021

A quiet year for movies. Even though the cinemas here were open all but a handful of days, many major releases were held back as the pandemic raged elseswere. So there are more classics and independent films than normal in my list, and only two US productions in all. 

10. The Duke - dramatisation of the events surrounding Kempton Bunton's "borrowing" of a Goya masterpiece in England 1961, starring Jim Broadbent. 

9. The Last Vermeer -  dramatisation of the events surrounding Han van Meegeren's forgery of Vermeer masterpieces in Amsterdam during WWII, starring Guy Pearce.

8. The Night House - mind-warping horror with alternate realities coming together, with Rebecca Hall 

7. Shadow in the Cloud - WWII horror with a gremlin attacking a bomber's flight crew

6. Mothering Sunday - a mix of Downton Abbey and Brideshead Revisited, based on Jonathan Swift's novel

5. Cruella - spectacularly entertaining origin story with Emma Stone. Screenplay by Tony McNamara.

4. Shiva Baby - the best shiva comedy of the year

3. The Lady Vanishes (1938) - not only a wonderful script, but a glimpse into history

2. The Ladykillers (1955) - worthy in its own right, but also historically interesting to see post-war London

1. Last Night in Soho - Edgar Wright's wonderful horror thriller. 

And honourable mentions go to:

The Dry

French Exit

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Life Aquatic

The Suicide Squad

 

Top TV of 2021

A decent year for streaming, with some gems amongst the mediocrity. Here are my favourites so far.

10. Upload - a murder-mystery technology dystopia. 

9. The Enfield Haunting - true 1970s horror.

8. Behind Her Eyes - schlocky thriller with a twist or two

7. Mr Mercedes - Stephen King's series brought to life by Brendan Gleeson

6. The Great - written to Perth's very own Tony McNamara

5. Locke and Key - yes, it's embarrassing to include a YA show in this list

4. Ghosts - consistently laughy

3. Wasted - the more juvenile successor to Spaced?

2. Only Murders in the Building - clever plotting and witty too, with Steve Martin and Martin Short

1. Bridget and Eamon - ridiculous Irish comedy set in the 80s, my decade. An unhappily married couple with between six and eight children.  

And special mentions to:

Brassic

Inside No 9

Mindhunters

Dr Death 

Succession 

The North Water 

What We Do in the Shadows 

Vigil 

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel 

The Walking Dead 

Fear the Walking Dead

Hopefully the Wheel of Time can be added to this list, once I binge through it.

Rainy July

July in Perth broke many rainfall records, as one cold front after another pounded the southwest corner of the state. It rained on all but three days, the highest number of rain days since 1946. The total of 271mm was only 7mm short of the record for recent decades of 278mm in 1995, although the all-time record was over 400mm in the 1940s. 

Favourite Podcasts

Although I do spend 90% of my free time preparing content for this blog, in the remainder of my time I listen to numerous podcasts. Here are my current favourites.

Kermode and Mayo's Film Review - self-explanatory

Monster Talk - scholarly chat about unexplained creatures

The Prancing Pony Podcast - analysing Tolkien's writings, chapter by chapter

St Elwick's Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast - from Mike Wozniack, this is of interest even if you're not a resident of St Elwick 

Beef and Dairy Network - not suitable for vegetarians

Dr Karl - Science talkback

Must Watch - BBC radio 5 review of the best on tv and streaming

The Skewer - stream of consciousness news comedy 

The Sword and Laser - science fiction and fantasy book club

The Talking Dead - for fans of the Walking Dead

 

Autumn Vineyards

 Although Perth's autumn colours are subdued compared to those of North America, Europe and New Zealand, there are still beautiful pockets. Last weekend I visited the Perth Hills, for an emergency purchase of wine, and to appreciate the change of seasons. Here are the views from Fairbrossen, and Myattsfield Wineries.

Garden Tiger

 My young cat (age 100 in human years), spends plenty of quality time guarding his back lawn. Here he is, busy at work.

Apocalypse over the Flozza

 A couple of months ago, prescribed burns led to smoke smothering the metropolitan area. This was the apocalyptic scene from the upper deck of the Floreat Forum car park, reminiscent of the classic film These Final Hours.

Thanks to the Guardian

 I'm proud of how many Guardian newspaper articles I've managed to read on my little iPhone recently. Of course, they're trying to guilt me into subscribing, and I happily would do so if they offered a printed version, but an online news site is simply a way for me to waste my time. And they should be pleased that they're producing so much free content that's of interest to me. In fact, they should be awarding me a prize for most dedicated customer !

Getting my vaccination

I'm now officially immune from COVID 19. Okay, technically I've only had my first jab, but still, it's a wonderful feeling to know I'm on the path to the other side (and I don't mean dying).

A few weeks ago, I happened to be browsing the state government's vaccination website, and found that the online bookings page was now open for business. I knew it was due to be launched the following day, but it seems that they went live early. So I excitedly booked myself in for a few days later, for the earliest slot at the Claremont showgrounds mass vaccination site. That explains the lack of people in this snap:

 

I went into my little cubicle with the nurse, had a little chat and it was over in no time. Then I immediately booked my second jab for 10 weeks later, and sat around for 15 minutes to make sure there was no immediate reaction to my injection. I was offered a free fruit juice or bottle of water, and then was on my way.

 

My Cat's Top Ten Films of 2020

As is traditional, Gizzie cat has ranked his favourite films of the past twelve months. Interestingly, there are only a couple of American movies amongst them. Few US films were released in 2020 so the cinemas mostly showed international and independent films. Here they are in reverse order:

10. The Personal History of David Copperfield (UK)

9.   The Current War (US)

8.   The Booksellers (US)

7.    Burnt Orange Heresy (International)

6.   The Gentleman (UK)

5.   The Furnace (Australia)

4.    Radioactive (UK)

3.   The Trip to Greece (UK)

2.    Dark Waters (US)

1.   Mank (US)

And an honourable mention to Belle Epoque (France).

Top TV

My favourite tv shows for 2020, streamed or otherwise.

The Queen's Gambit

Normal People

Lovecraft Country

Succession

The Witcher

Cardinal

The Great

What We Do in the Shadows

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel

Devs

Top Classic Films

 And with so many classics reappearing in the cinema, here's a bonus list of my favourite oldies seen in the past year on the big screen:

5. Lawrence of Arabia

4. Mr Smith Goes to Washington

3. North by Northwest

2. Casablanca

1. Philadelphia Story

Top 10 Films for 2020

It was a decent year for films. Despite an absence of blockbusters (I certainly didn't miss the three hour Superhero movies that have proliferated recently), the smaller indie films and international films were entertaining enough.

10(=). David Copperfield - it was a toss-up between this and Emma for this spot, so I'm including them both, however David Copperfield's quirky humour appealed to me more.

10(=). Emma - thanks Jane Austen.

9. Summerland - WW2 romantic drama

8. Blithe Spirit - very entertaining adaption of Noel Coward's comic play featuring seances and hauntings

7. The Lodge - a horror story set in the snowy wilds of Massachusetts featuring gaslighting and insanity

6. Midnight Sky - George Clooney's apocalyptic space drama had a short run in the cinema before switching to Netflix, and I'm lucky to have caught it on the big screen. 

5. Colour Out of Space - insane (literally) adaption of H. P. Lovecraft's short story, starring Nicholas Cage. 

4. Belle Epoque - is it possible to time travel by faithfully recreating a scene from the past? A quirky French romance.

3. The Burnt Orange Heresy - an art crime thriller

2. 1917 - for the cinematography alone, this is unforgettable

1. Tenet - worth seeing multiple times (and in reverse) to understand the many layers. 

And some honourable mentions, for films that could easily have made the top ten if my mood differed slightly:

Trip to Greece

Mank 

The Father

Footy in the Rain

 At Optus Oval to see the Freo Dockers recently. What a view from the top deck !

Even more spectacular in a downpour.

Old-Fashioned Cinema

 I'm enjoying the Sunday afternoon retro film screenings at the Windsor.

There's a whirl on the organ to begin. And there's an intermission to collect your second choc bomb.

North by Northwest was my favourite so far, but I did enjoy seeing Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen for the first time.

Twice the leprechauns

A gorgeous double-rainbow beside Lake Monger yesterday evening.

Regional Travel Restrictions

It's so claustrophobic being confined to a tiny region within Western Australia while the pandemic rages on. We can only head north, south or east for about 500km until we hit the checkpoints. Luckily though, we're  permitted to swim west for an unlimited distance.

Cat Roar

Someone appreciates a gentle tummy rub.

WFH

Here my working from home setup. It's unusual to see my coworker so alert - he's normally asleep, sprawled across the keyboard or upside down, asking for tummy tickles.

Documenting history

For the historical record, here are some emails that document the gradual shutting down of business.

Queueing for Bunnings

Bunnings is very well organised for physical distancing. The entry queue is well-spaced, and you can't enter until someone leaves. And there's a limit of four customers per aisle.

Cheap Petrol

As we approach the collapse of civilisation, one positive is the plummeting price of petrol. It hasn't been this low since I was a young kid, fifteen years ago.