I have loved Thomas Mann novels since first being are introduced to them, over thirty years ago, by Mr Tersch who I've talked about here. Although I’m not sure I understood them completely on a first reading. And given the passage of years I couldn't have said I really remembered them accurately. Hence the decision to re-read some. Royal … [Read more...] about Thomas Mann
Lockdown Reading
We’ve been in our second lockdown here in Melbourne since the 7th of July. It’s been harder than the first time in March-April, I suppose because we'd already done it once. As well, this time, the news has been terrible with lots of cases every day and lots of deaths, especially from aged care homes. So it's been pretty grim. We've now had the … [Read more...] about Lockdown Reading
MIFF 2020
We're watching all of our MIFF films online this year. The title of this year's festival is MIFF 681/2 This was meant to be the 69th MIFF but we're only getting half a festival due to Covid 19. The hashtag on twitter remains #MIFF2020. Opening night was Thursday 6 August. I'll be writing my reviews contemporaneously and updating this blog as I do … [Read more...] about MIFF 2020
Lockdown Garden – August 2020
Feeling a bit grim in this the first week of our stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne. Numbers of cases go up and down - up today; hospital admissions go up - by a lot today due to people from aged care homes being transferred; deaths go up - including today, a man in his thirties. To cheer myself up I've been exploring the garden. It's freezing out … [Read more...] about Lockdown Garden – August 2020
MIFF 2019 – The Rest
It's always tricky identifying the best films at a festival when you've seen as many as I do. Looking at the rest, those to which I have awarded four and three stars, I find, after a year's cogitation, that there are only a few that I would really recommend. Family Tour This is especially relevant given the current debate about China that's … [Read more...] about MIFF 2019 – The Rest
MIFF 2019 – Five Star Films
MIFF 2020 is almost upon us; although this year, thanks to Covid-19 it's going to be very different. One of the things I've always loved about MIFF is experiencing a film in a large, crowded theatre. It's terrific being with up to a thousand other people enjoying a story. That's not going to happen this year. We will all be watching films on-line … [Read more...] about MIFF 2019 – Five Star Films