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
July Reading
Along with a couple of lengthy tomes on Wagner which I've written about here and here, I've been on a bit of a nostalgia kick with my July reading. This was kicked off, by my reading Annie Ernaux's memoir, The Years. I don't know whether I was enthusiastic enough about this book, which I've written about here. Leafing through it again I am … [Read more...] about July Reading
Darebin Creek Trail
On the 16th of July Joe and I walked along the Darebin Creek, not knowing that a couple of weeks later we'd be prohibited from driving anywhere to have a walk. On this day we drove to Alphington Station and from there walked down to the Darebin Wetlands. This is a lovely park created on an old rubbish dump - shows what can be done. It was a … [Read more...] about Darebin Creek Trail