Good old Australia Day, you have to love a long weekend that allows you to celebrate every element of being an Aussie. It's all about the midday BBQ's and the beers, listening to the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown, pulling out the old Aussie flag and draping it over yourself to sit by the waterside with fish n' chips whilst you watch the sunset and wait for the annual free fireworks extravaganza. 
This year however, it was utterly freezing in Ballarat and even though I still braved the chills for my yearly fix of fireworks on the lake, there were no BBQ's or beers. No, we had a very un-Australian dinner of Spanish frittata, followed with Dutch hot chocolates after the lake fireworks to thaw us out.  But being a part of the great big melting pot of cuisine and culture in Australia is just as much a part of Australia Day as the bogans with their beer esky and thong persona, probably even more so now. 
I think we have moved along from that archaic Aussie stereotype; you don't need to be strutting around in a wife beater singlet and a pair of footy shorts to be one of the Aussie's anymore, you can do whatever takes your fancy to celebrate being Australian. 
Australia Day is a day for everyone to rejoice in our Great Southern Land, a day to celebrate the freedoms that we all enjoy together and a day to consider all of the wonderful things that make Australia home to us all. 
If that means a BBQ and beer - so be it, if that means frittata and hot chocolate - so be it! There is no recipe to Australia Day, whatever you are doing to celebrate, it's Australian! Enjoy it and make it your own I say, that's about as Aussie as it gets! 

THE CASTLE
Release Date: 1997
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 85 mins 
If you're in the mood for a great Aussie classic, you really can't go past The Castle. Directed and co-written by Rob Sitch with some help from his usual crew of larrikans from Working Dog Productions- Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Santo Cilauro; this comedy has won a place in millions of Australian's hearts with it's quirky and painfully relatible Aussie characters. 
The Kerrigan family are the quintessential Aussie battlers, fighting to keep their beloved home from the grips of the Melbourne airport authorities that wish to seize their land for expansion. 
Jam packed with over the top characters and spilling over with quotable one liners, this is Aussie comedy gold.  Stephen Curry is wonderful as the mullet toting Dale Kerrigan and Eric Bana is a perfect Con Petropoulous, in fact the entire cast does a really great job of making sure that The Castle ends up in everyone's "Pool Room." 
FINAL SAY: You can't buy what I've got. 
3.5 Chili Peppers 

Arrived home today, pretty exhausted from our flight which left at 11pm and arrived in Melbourne around 8am. We were home by lunchtime but I feel like I have been awake for days. It is impossible to get any decent sleep on a plane; the stewardess' are always tapping you on the shoulder to get you to put your belt back on for every minor turbulence or to plonk down another disgusting offering of a mostly inedible variety, add that to the combined sounds of a few hundred people's snores, cries and farts; well you just don't rest well if at all. 
But the holiday was absolutely fabulous! Bali is an interesting place to visit, they are so evidently reliant on tourism that they go above and beyond with all of their services.  The first thing that hits you when you get there is the incredible heat, ten minutes of walking can see you literally dripping with sweat and searching for the nearest drink station. It's a clingy tropical heat, and since Indonesia is currently in it's wet season, it is a muggy sweltering type of heat that can really throw you if you're not expecting it. I was expecting it though, and I loved it!  Just what I needed, a good dose of hot! 
The food in Bali is cheap and it is delicious, we ate and drank like Kings all week and had some wonderful dining experiences, including lobster chosen fresh from the tank on the beach at sunset, and candlelight dinners in Balinese huts and tables overlooking the rice paddies. Beers only set you back a couple of dollars and cocktails are really reasonable too, needless to say I drank too much and ate a couple of courses most of the time, so I've returned a lot heavier than I left. Luckily they only weighed my luggage and not me at the airport when we departed. 
My favourite part of Bali was definitely Ubud, a picturesque village set amid the rice terraces and lush green jungle terrains. We went to visit a bird and reptile park where Seth got to hold lots of birds and lizards, and I have to say this place was really impressive, I had no idea that birds could be so interesting! We also went to the sacred monkey forest to feed naughty little monkeys bananas by hand, some of them were pretty aggressive and if Seth didn't already know how babies were made, he would've worked it out by the end of that trip! 
I even got to try the famous Luwak coffee, the one where the native cat-like animal eats the coffee beans, craps them out, and then they collect it, clean it (thoroughly I told myself) and then grind the beans for the smoothest and richest coffee flavour. I have no idea who the first person was to come up with this concept, some fricken wierdo; but anyway it is considered a delicacy. I thought it was a bit overrated, but I can officially say that I have now had a 'cat-poo-chino' as the locals call it. 
So I have been completely shopped out, sunned out and weirded out by the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Bali. I am happy to not have to barter for a bargain for a good long while, I no longer want to be refereed to as 'mum' by well meaning locals and I've been massaged and rubbed within an inch of my life. In a competition of Barb vs Bali, well....Bali won - I am no match for the mighty Indonesian Island - I give up- I am spent!! 

HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 114 mins 
This is a perfect choice for a plane trip, a little bit of comedy, a little bit of adventure and a generally easy to watch, light piece of drama. Simon Pegg throws off his black humour cloak to play Hector, a psychiatrist that is feeling unmoved by his current and predictable lifestyle. Hector decides to travel the world searching for adventure and the true meaning of happiness. 
A great support cast really allow Pegg to shine, with notable stints from Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Skellan Skarsgard and Jean Reno - whom I adore. 
This is a pleasant watch,  mostly cheerful and definitely relatible to most middle aged people that have ever felt like they have it all and yet at times feel unfulfilled. I think that many people will wanderlust after this watch if they aren't already. 
FINAL SAY: For the searchers
3 Chili Peppers 

With only days to go until we leave, the anticipation is running hot. The days leading up to our departure seem to have dragged on for an eternity, especially since the weather has taken a god awful turn for the worse. Our water tank hasn't been this full since Winter, and I can't even recall the last time that the weather was this wet and drab, it is utterly miserable! Can't say I'm going to be sad to see the back end of it really. 
Seth's birthday is coming up in a couple of days and this has added to the overall high levels of anticipation that we are all having at the moment. Over the next couple of days I will plan out his big day, make his birthday cake and get ready to Laser Force myself to death, since that is the activity that he has decided to indulge in for his big 10th birthday. Nothing like running around in the dark trying to kill people with plastic guns to lift a person's spirits! 
So with only days to go until I can hit the Bali beaches and markets, I turn my attentions to what I will pack. I really hate packing for a holiday, because you never can be sure that you're taking the right stuff or if you'll even use half of the crap that you spend your time lugging around. I tend to over-pack, my suitcase can look like a hoarders spare room in minutes. And I over think stuff, rationalising stupid additions with the whole 'but what if I need it when I'm there?' Honestly, it's not like I'm heading off to the bloody Gaza Strip or anything, there's always tonnes of supermarkets and convenience stores abroad but I always seem to feel obliged to take things just in case. I think it is the mum in me that does it. 
Anyway, with all this free pondering time I have been watching a lot of movies and series lately, the best thing that I saw this week was definitely What We Do in the Shadows. 

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Release Date: 2014
Rating: M
Running Time: 86 mins 
This horror-comedy mockumentary tells the story of a group of modern day vampires living together in Wellington, New Zealand. Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, this is a hilarious take on all classic vampire tales and is delivered with a clever and witty dialogue that I thoroughly enjoyed. 
Viago, Deacon, Petyr and Vladislav are four housemate vampires, just trying to get by in the 21st century. However, just because you're a vampire, that doesn't mean that you are only immune to silver and sunlight, you also have to contend with not hitting a main artery, not being able to see your sexy reflection in a mirror, not being able to enter a nightclub without an invitation and then there's the chore wheel! 
Clement and Waititi have taken the lead roles of Viago and Vladislav on with good humour and charm, Jonathon Burgh is hysterical as the sexy dancing Deacon and Ben Fransham is a dead ringer for Nosferatu as the ancient vampire Petyr. 
This is a great example of horror-comedy done right, it's funny for all of the wrong reasons but I was laughing out loud the whole way through.
FINAL SAY: We're vampires, we don't put down towels! 
4 Chili Peppers 

It would appear that everyone in Enfield that has a dog has either left the area for holidays or they clearly have an inadequate form of dog enclosure, because in the last 7 days I have returned 5 dogs to their owners or their 'carers' whilst their owners are away. 
This has led me to endless wanderings of the neighbourhood playing Nancy Drew, looking for clues and talking to people in the area to try and determine just where the heck these animals are coming from. And why are they always coming to my house? I don't want nor do I need a stray dog. But I just cannot let them run about when we are so close to the highway, I always feel such an overwhelming sense of responsibility and end up playing the role of the good Samaritan.
Seth has loved the influx of dogs onto our property and is now constantly demanding that his allergy to dog hair is clearly not as severe as it was when he was younger and that we now need to get a dog. I keep explaining that dogs are a big responsibility and that strays are the easiest because they are only around for a little while and you don't have to pick up their crappers or feed them and walk them. But I fear I am losing this battle, as all three of the others in the house desperately want a dog. Without any fences this is NOT do-able, so I have given myself and our aging cat some time there, but I believe that we will get a dog sometime in the future. At the rate that the strays are rocking up, we may not even need to shop for one! 

BUG
Release Date: 2006 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 102 mins 
This movie was nothing like I expected, I was thinking sci-fi, maybe horror, but what I got was a very stylized drama/ thriller. Directed by William Friedkin, known best for his work on The Exorcist, this is a strange journey into the minds and unusual behaviours of two obviously disturbed and damaged individuals. 
Agnes is a loner that is just getting by after the disappearance of her son, she meets a strange drifter called Peter and the two connect. Things are looking up for Agnes, that is until the bugs arrive. 
Ashley Judd is fabulous as Agnes, this would have to be the best that I have seen from her; and Michael Shannon is the epitome of disturbing in every way, and together they are riveting! 
I'm not going to write anymore about this movie because it is one of those 'the less you know about it, the better it is' type of films. 
FINAL SAY: What's bugging you?
3.5 Chili Peppers 

Buzzing around catching up with friends, I've been traveling across Victoria to engage in a variety of most excellent get together's and I am rapidly filling in time until we all leave for Bali. 
I saw a friend's new house the other day, you just have to love that new house smell and how insanely clean everything is; I recall how excited I was when we moved out to Enfield. When you build a home for yourself, you love it all the more. 
Zoe navigated the highway for the first time and we went to Bacchus Marsh so we could spend the 39 degree day rolling around in my Aunt's swimming pool and scoffing salad rolls. She is the type of Aunt that nothing is too much for, the type of Aunt that you want in your life. You can rock up anytime and you're always welcome and handsomely fed as well! 
Braved another corking hot day yesterday and ventured out to Teesdale to pick strawberries with a friend. I love strawberries and picking them always makes me think of my nan and the hundreds of strawberries that I greedily popped into my gob from her garden when I was growing up; so it's a little nostalgic for me. But 38 degrees is NOT picking weather, we all survived, but I was dripping with sweat by the time we were done, and did I mention my car has no air conditioning? Yeah, kinda stupid, but hey I have the most delicious strawberries to eat for breakfast today! 
Today I am heading out to meet a friend at the Chocolate Mill in Mt Franklin to indulge my need for Venus' Nipples, if you don't know what I am talking about then you need to go out there and see for yourself. The chocolates are amazing! Anyway packing a picnic lunch to have by the lake and hopefully the sudden drizzle will hold off until the afternoon. 
Unfortunately, my recent connection to Foxtel on Demand options on my Pay TV has led to a phenomenal rise in shitty viewing. I am rapidly discovering why these movies are free to watch and why I haven't seen them already! I can't remember the last time I watched this much shit in ages! 

THE KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM
Release Date: 2013 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 86 mins 
I know, the name should of been a dead giveaway! But Peter Dinklage, Ryan Kwanten, Summer Glau and Danny Puddy are in it, so I was utterly allured by the cast here, don't let that happen to you! 
Three live action role players conjure up a demon and must try to defeat it before it kills all of the LARPers at the battle of Evermore. 
This movie was so bad that I almost got a nose bleed watching it.
FINAL SAY: Avoid like Typhoid!
0.5 Chili Peppers

AN AMERICAN HAUNTING
Release Date: 2005
Rating: M
Running Time: 83 mins (that I will never get back!)
SPOILERS! What should've been a recount of a real life haunting that occurred in Tennessee in 1817, turned out to be a girl manifesting her angst at being molested by her father. This was a debacle from start to end, Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek need to hang their heads in shame!
Epically crap, and the effects could've been handled by my nine year old son on his laptop. 
FINAL SAY: Fucking haunting alright!
0.5 Chili Peppers 

MAGIC MAGIC
Release Date: 2013
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 97 mins 
Somebody tell me what the fuck was going on here please! 
Apparently this 'psychological thriller' was reviewed as being a 'great ride' - HARDLY! 
Five people, some Sth American and some not, go on a trip to a remote island. One of them is suffering from sleep deprivation and starts tripping out and doing all manner of crazy shit, including shoving her pussy into Michael Cera's face. This movie goes from weird to weirder, and the art-house esoteric bullshit was lost on me that's for sure. 
FINAL SAY: I doubt being stoned would even help with this one!
1.5 Chili Peppers 

It's funny how New Years has the power to make you assess your life and life choices like no other holiday can. For some reason that last drop of time for the year sweeps people up and allows them to feel empowered enough to turn over a new leaf, set new and quite often unrealistic goals and to attempt some kind of self improvement that will give them a better quality of life. 
For some people it is the time to set realistic long term goals, like losing 10 kilos and finally getting fit or traveling to some long lusted after destination far across the globe. I am all for goal setting, it is practically a religion for me. I firmly believe that without goals and aspirations we are just leaves on the wind, letting life toss us from one place to another without much thought of where the road will lead us. Some people like to live this way, spontaneity certainly has its merits, but I am more of an eyes on the prize kind of a gal. 
So there in lies the question, to form a New Years resolution or to realise that you could just be setting yourself up for an epic failure? I suppose that depends on how committed you are to your goals. We all know those people that get drunk on New Years exclaiming their next year to be one of sobriety and focus, only to get pissed on the 2nd of January and spend all of their holiday pay at the casino. Not a lot of point making any resolutions that you have absolutely no longing for, that is clearly a recipe for failure. 
I think that resolutions need to be kept do-able. Sure we all want to look like a Victoria's Secret model by next New Years Eve, but the chances of that really happening for most of us is slim at best. So if you need to resolve for New Years, I suggest keeping it achievable and it must be something that you are really passionate about doing, REALLY PASSIONATE about. 
No whims, no bullshit and no flights of fancy; if you're going to form some sort of goal for yourself than you need to have the minerals to see it through. I have set myself New Years resolutions for about 5 years now, ones that I have really wanted to see through and I have manged to do them all. I like to go for a few goals, somewhat challenging but not stupidly demanding. I have actually undertaken these goals with a great deal of joy and I have enjoyed a huge sense of achievement from them, so in a way a New Year's resolution can be a fabulous way to start a new year. Nothing like a good goal to point your compass towards I say. This year my resolutions are as follows:
1. Finish all of the reviews that I have listed on my genre lists (about 310 films to go!)
2. Drink more water
3. Do half an hour of exercise a day
4. Take up meditation and do it twice a week
5. Plan a gathering or get together once a month
6. Pay something forward or complete an act of random kindness once a week
If all that doesn't keep me busy, nothing will! 
We will see how this all goes, but it is always important to remember that you have to have dreams to make them come true.

BEGIN AGAIN
Release Date: 2013
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 104 mins 
I just a adore a movie that doesn't rely on romantic love alone. We all know that love comes in many and various forms, but rarely do film makers explore the realms of platonic love, complicated love dynamics and the love of life not people. For that reason, Begin Again was a refreshing and intelligent movie about love.
Aspiring musician Gretta (Keira Knightly) is struggling with the recent breakdown of her relationship to rising star Dave (Adam Levine) when she has a chance meeting with a disgraced record label executive called Dan (Mark Ruffalo). Dan convinces Gretta to make an album with him in an attempt to lift both of their damaged lives out of the mire and to celebrate the city of New York. 
The music and musical collaborations in this film are just brilliant, and this movie really is just as much about the music as it is about love. Imagine if the films The Commitments and Lost in Translation meshed together, Begin Again would be the offspring of that melding. A delightful and fabulously fun film for the Summer. 
FINAL SAY: Grab your double headphone jack and hit the city. 
3.5 Chili Peppers