Spent a leisurely day in the sun at Halls Gap Zoo today with my mum and the kids, and I've gotta say that this place is excellent value for money. We were there for around three hours and that was a quick run through, the extent of their animals far surpassed what I was expecting to see. You could easily fill in a full day with kids here, especially if you packed your own lunch. 
I was picturing a few kangaroos and wallabies and the like, a little hand feeding....but no, this place is fully decked out with monkeys, meerkats, cheetahs and even giraffes! Unbelievable, I was pretty gob smacked. And there is a massive array of birds and reptiles on top of that. The kids got to hand feed deer and goats, as well as the obligatory kangaroos, and they spotted a few animals that they had never seen before which was a bonus. 
After that we hit the Halls Gap ice cream shop for a serve of creamy deliciousness to scoff down in the shade of the Grampians before returning home, a truly great day out. 
Thought I'd round it all out with a great monster movie for us all to enjoy in the evening, turns out it had monsters, but there was nothing great about it!

GODZILLA
Release Date: 2014
Rating: M
Running Time: 123 mins (123 mins too long!)
I think that I placed far too much stock in the fact that Bryan Cranston was in this movie, thinking that his mere presence would give the film some credibility, what a dick I am! He and Juliette Binoche are killed off in the first 40 mins - and I don't even care if that's a spoiler for anyone, because if you're considering watching this - think again! 
I don't even know where to start with the utter shite of this fiasco; but broadly it's about a reawakening of an ancient monster life force in the form of two giant bugs that just want to smash shit up, mate and lay eggs. The only hope for the survival of humanity lies in the hands of Godzilla, who is also a reawakened monster that smashes loads of shit up. Makes sense right? Oh, and some of them (or all of them - I forget now) drain energy from power items like nuclear weapons and such. 
That should help make sense of it all. Still no? Well me either, but I endured through it, loudly shouting at the screen and wasting my own life to get through it. Maybe it was the part when Godzilla started shooting lightening out of his mouth that really did me in, but it's hard to say!
FINAL SAY: How did they ever get Cranston to sign off on this tripe?
1.5 Chili Peppers

You just have to love the holidays for all of the time that you can waste sleeping in, reading books, watching movies and having long lunches that include wine! It is truly heaven on a stick.
Had a superb fish and chip lunch down on eastern beach with the kids on Tuesday, followed by a spot of shopping in Geelong and a side trip to Kyo to kick start my Christmas list. 
Then had a delicious cafe lunch with friends on Thursday to celebrate a gal pals birthday and then had another lunch date with a friend at my house in Enfield today. Doing it hard people, really hard!
But without a doubt, the most exciting thing that has happened this week has been the realisation that we will be able to go to Bali over the January holidays for a week of sun, shopping and beach bumming luxury! 
This is a most unexpected revelation, especially since Zoe and I ventured abroad in March to Thailand for my fortieth birthday which was a huge extravagance as it was. But when we factored in Zoe's coming YR 12 graduation, Craig and my 20th wedding anniversary in November, a trip to Phillip Island in January and a stay in Sydney for Easter that we had planned, well Bali actually turned out to the cheaper option. So it is back to holiday planning for me, which I love doing - and suddenly the Christmas break seems a whole lot more exciting than it did a week ago! Travel is certainly one of my deep passions, and I can't wait to hit the trails again. 
Naturally I have also been heavily sating my lust for movies over the break and managed to catch a rather unusual, albeit enjoyable movie that would raise anyone's eyebrows. 

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS 
Release Date: 2006 
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 116 mins 
Based on the 2002 memoir of American writer Augusten Burroughs, this incredibly deranged tale tells of Augusten's bizarre childhood and the trials that he faced being raised by his chain smoking, prescription drug addicted, aspiring poet mother Deirdre Burroughs. 
After Augusten's drunkard father leaves the family home things go from weird to weirder in fast succession, in fact the events in this film are so weird that they defy reality completely. From the eccentric psychiatrist Dr Finch and his insanely dysfunctional family to the rantings of Augusten's clearly unhinged mother, it's difficult to believe that anyone could come out the other end with enough coherence to write their memoir. Exaggerated truth or mainly fiction? Hard to tell but it is entertaining viewing. 
Annette Benning is beyond fabulous as Deirdre Burroughs and Brian Cox is stellar as Dr Finch, but a strong supporting cast in the form of Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Gwyneth Paltrow and Alec Baldwin really round out the utter insanity of it all. 
FINAL SAY: Look out for the masterbatorium!
3 Chili Peppers 

Started the September school holidays on a high note by celebrating the Spring Equinox with by best friend and the kids. What better way to sate my need for bread then to have a gluten free cook up of all things stodgy and delicious. Managed to get some great new recipes under my belt that are not only FODMAP friendly but tasted pretty great too. I was the only one that loved the Paleo choc-zucchini loaf but everyone enjoyed the pumpkin walnut loaf, mixed reviews on the corn bread muffins and gluten free hot cross buns, but in all I think we did a pretty decent job of dealing with almost completely foreign baking ingredients. The smells of spices and fruits carried over throughout the day making the entire house smell like a bakery. Spent the better part of the sunny Saturday arvo getting lost (literally) in the Enfield bush. Took a wrong turn somewhere back at Albuquerque and ended up going on an almost two hour hike instead of the 40 minute route that the sign advised us of upon entry. Never mind, made it home in time to indulge in delicious spring lamb and salad, topped off with a round of mindless competitive drawing and red wine. Yay, welcome Spring! 
Sunday delivered even more sunshine and an opportunity to get out into the garden and feel the sun on my back. Delight! The first utters of warmth are just so damn good; all of the deciduous trees are stirring and blossoms are arriving, it's just great to be outside right now. I always forget how lovely an afternoon drink on the deck in the sunshine can be until days like these arrive and then I remember all of the things that I love about Enfield, and Spring...and the prospect of two week holidays....woohoo! So ready for a sleep in, especially since I stayed up far too late watching a movie that would take the jam out of anyone's donut - lucky I was on such a high that I could cope with it. 

12 YEARS A SLAVE 
Release Date: 2013
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 134 mins 
It's very easy to see why this film won Best Motion Picture at the Oscars, it's an historical and utterly incredible true life story that director Steve McQueen has delivered on an epic and deeply moving level. 
Set in 1853 during the pre-civil war period in the United States, we witness free black man Solomon Northup being abducted, sold into slavery and for twleve long years, ongoingly tortured and tormented by malevolent slave owner Edwin Epps. 
This is harrowing stuff, some of the scenes where the slaves are being mistreated are quite disturbing, but not unnecessary. These scenes portray an accurate account of just how brutally slaves were treated, and the terrifying lives that they lived. Probably most disturbing of all is the fact that this is an actual memoir; the characters are based on real people and it all occurred less than 200 years ago. 
Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely brilliant as Northup, bringing an incredible strength and dignity to the character. Michael Fassbender (featured in a lot of McQueen's films) is disturbingly good as Epps, giving a frightening and visceral realness to all of the demented behaviours. There are so many notable performances by dozens of reputable actors that I don't even know where to start, but they all do an incredible job of really fleshing out all of the extreme supporting characters perfectly, overall the casting is just excellent. This is probably a film that everyone needs to see at some point. 
FINAL SAY: An extraordinary life story.
4.5 Chili Peppers

People at work appear to be on mass exodus at the moment. In the last four weeks we have had four staff members announce that they will be finishing up at the end of this year. These types of things always seem to happen in waves, only this time I am really sad about it because I am not just losing a work colleague, I am also losing a friend. 
A few years ago a friend of mine left work and it just shattered me, I felt like I had no-one to share the contents of my head with at work and it was really isolating. I actually mourned this person not being at work for ages! And then as with all things, you move on and it gets easier, and then BAM! Someone else up and leaves and you feel really sad for ages again. 
I don't really make friends that easily, and to make friends with work colleagues is probably even harder for me so it's really hard to say goodbye to people that you've grown incredibly fond of in the work environment. 
This particular person was the first teacher that I started my journey as an LSO with five years ago, and she has always made me feel valued and respected. She is a special person, the kind that lights up a room and genuinely cares about others. She's an amazing teacher and her absence is going to be a huge to loss to our school and a personal loss to me. Sure we will still keep in touch, you don't just stop seeing people that you no longer work with, but it's going to be weird not having her around to bounce things off and share a laugh with during the difficult and tedious times at work. 
So it is a bitter sweet farewell, for I know that she's doing what she must do for own self now, but the most selfish parts of me just want her to stay. Oh dear friend, I will miss you ever so much. 
Could use a good buddy movie about now. 

STAND BY ME
Release Date: 1986
Rating: M
Running Time: 89 mins 
This is the ultimate friendship movie. Based on the short story The Body by Stephen King, this is a coming of age tale that explores the adventures of four 12 year old boys on the journey of a lifetime.
Set in the 1950's, we follow these small town friends as they set out on foot across the countryside, in search of a presumed dead and missing boy. Each of the boys have their own crosses to bear that come to light as they travel together. They share their hopes, doubts and dreams; learning about each other, themselves, the meaning of true friendship and standing up for what is right. 
The quartet is billed by a strong cast of young comers including River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell, and the entire movie is beautifully narrated by Richard Dreyfuss. It's a profoundly sweet and meaningful movie, and a must for everyone to see. 
FINAL SAY: I never had any friends later on like the ones that I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone? 
4 Chili Peppers

My immediate family doesn't get together very often. There are so many reasons for this, most of them based in our sheer inadequacies to operate as a cohesive family unit. 
This could be blamed on one or more individuals, but at the end of the day each of us have played our parts and as a result we have learned the fine art of avoidance and self preservation when it comes to family 'get togethers' - especially when faced with the glaring ugliness of previous family events. 
So, it was with great trepidation that I re-entered back into the Twilight Zone/ Fresh Hell, that is basically all of us kin in one room together. Just the sound of it makes me feel uneasy and slightly twitchy. We don't often fare well at these events, as they have been known to serve as a platform for anyone to air their displeasure, point out the shortcomings and disappointments of others or raise some God forsaken skeleton from the closet to throw in someone else's face. GOOD TIMES! 
Well, this Sunday's little soiree was not the case. Everyone put on their most civilized faces, stayed sober and put their petty differences aside for four entire hours to talk about menial things and play happy families. Well done family, only 40 plus years in the making and we finally did it. No-one cried or ranted, no-one left feeling devalued or put upon and most importantly there was no more damage added to our already insurmountable amount of issues. Hoorah! Big up yourselves, a first for all things indeed. 
It's far too early to bust out the champagne just yet, but it is progress. And I am all in favour of progress when it comes to my family, I will take progress and rejoice in it because it is more than we have had for a very long while. Baby steps people......baby steps. 

BEAUTIFUL KATE 
Release Date: 2009
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 90 mins
There aren't a lot of movies that have families this screwed up in them, but Beautiful Kate certainly does. If you're looking for a feel good movie, then don't look here. This is not uplifting, but it is powerful and engaging drama. 
Writer Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to his remote family home in South Australia's Flinders Ranges to say goodbye to his dying father. Ned is re-united with his estranged twin sister Kate (Sophie Lowe) and long buried memories of the past re-surface and demand attention. 
Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths round out a talented cast that deliver strong and convincing performances. Tex Perkins' soundtrack adds perfectly to the story and the overall impact is haunting and emotional. 
FINAL SAY: You can't hide from your past. 
3.5 Chili Peppers

The school concert has finally come and gone. All of the hard work paid off! And contrary to all of my early anxieties, the children managed to pull everything together for a mighty fine evening of entertainment. Even the staff rendition of YouTube sensation 'The Evolution of Dance' came together to look semi put together; crisis averted and now let's move forward with some normality please. 
On the home front, poor Seth has been so unwell with a raging sore throat and head cold, Zoe is up to her eyeballs in VCE work on an epic scale and Craig is feeling the work day blues. But right now I just love 'em all intensely, because they've just championed through and soldiered on and generally made things relatively stress free given the insane circumstances this week. 
It is times like this that I pat myself on the back for creating such amazing kids with awesome coping skills, and I thank the God's for Craig because he is always a pillar of strength even when he is feeling shitty himself. 
It's nice to be able to rest my head on a bed of calm amid a world of calamity. Got so family nostalgic this week that I even got my biblical viewing on, what is happening to me?

NOAH
Release Date: 2014
Rating: M 
Running Time: 138 mins 
I won't lie, it was the lure of Darren Aronofsky that got me here, not the thought of a good bible story or Russell Crowe. And I have to say that I was really impressed with both the quality and the tastefulness in which this story was handled. 
You do not need to be religious to enjoy this movie. It is not bible bashing or trying to convert the viewer in any way, so don't let pre-conceptions hold back from a viewing. I seriously doubt that you need me to run you down on the story line here, but for those of you that have just landed on planet Earth, it's about a man named Noah saving two of every creature in the world from an apocalyptic flood in a giant boat that he builds because his creator told him to do it. 
Sounds like a good myth? Well it is, and it translates beautifully as one. Aronofsky has been both religiously sensitive and exceptionally clever in his portray of very early man. The thought that has clearly gone into the design of the animals, the execution of the angels and the ideal of a creator is quite amazing. This movie translates very well. 
Russell Crowe is the most enjoyable I've seen him since Gladiator, Jennifer Connolly makes a convincing wife and Emma Watson and Logan Lerman add merit as the next generation of Seth. 
FINAL SAY: A wonderful mythical retelling 
3.5 Chili Peppers

An early start for a Sunday with the kids arriving in our room at 7.30am to give Craig his gifts and tell him how fabulous he is. Dads really love being told their awesome, and Craig is no exception to that rule. 
But the truth is that dads (and men) are generally pretty easy to please when it comes to gifts. I hope I don't offend any men out there by saying this, but the general vibe that I get from Father's Day is that guys just want to be given a day on the couch with the remote, kids somewhere else leaving them alone and if they're really lucky their wife will throw in a little hanky panky and a giant steak. Job done. 
When it comes to the men I know, this is fairly stock standard. They just want to be left the fuck alone! Dads don't want to go out for a lunch that they're gonna have to pay for, they don't need more socks and jocks or stubby holders from the Father's Day stall at school, forget that shit. That token crap floats the mum's boats, men just want a day of peace and quiet. Anything on top is gravy, but essentially that's it. 
Any dad is going to enjoy a day without kids and mums enforcing quality family time on them, so ladies give that shit up. It's Father's Day, not family day, so let them have what they want and allow a day on the couch to just happen. Uninterrupted man programming without the guilt trip on the side thanks mums. Honestly, it's just one day! So don't over think it in the future, a T-bone steak and a BJ will do the trick, it's really all he's after! 

TRANCE
Release Date: 2013
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 101 mins 
Danny Boyle mixes action and intrigue in this slick thriller that will keep you guessing to the very end. This is a fast paced movie with a lot of sub plot, so you need to have your attention levels on high to get all of the subtle plot twists. 
An art dealer named Simon (James McAvoy) gets involved with a group of criminals when an art heist goes wrong. After a good thump to the head, Simon forgets what he did with the priceless art and needs to undergo hypnosis to remember where he put it. His hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) soon has Simon and the criminals so deep into treatment that reality starts to blur and things get pretty weird. 
Vincent Cassel makes a good addition as the thuggish art thief, but even he couldn't make this movie polished enough for me. The potential was there, but it just fell short in the end despite having some really interesting scenes and quality actors in toe. 
FINAL SAY: Not entrancing enough
2.5 Chili Peppers 

Had to get out of my own way this week. Things are really hotting up at work with the school performance date looming. This extravaganza of Ben Hur proportions is causing stress levels to rise and all members of the school (staff and students equally) are feeling exhausted and pushed to their limits of commitment. Such is the climate of these events, but if you don't step away you can really get overloaded, and that's not good for anyone.
It was time to get out for a decent evening meal and a movie, so I enlisted the company of a couple of great gal pals that needed some time out also and hit the local Asian vegetarian scene where I could indulge my need for killer tofu and herbal tea. 
Unfortunately, the choice of movie we saw left us feeling a little tepid and didn't manage to live up to the expectation that I had........oh well, you can't win 'em all. 

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT
Release Date: 2014
Rating:  M
Running Time: 97 mins 
When I think of Woody Allen movies I think of great film making, and that's a problem because not all of Woody's movies are as grand as Blue Jasmine, Mighty Aphrodite or Midnight in Paris. Some of them are just too much filler and not enough intrigue, and that is exactly what Magic in the Moonlight delivered. 
After getting me excited with a fabulously interesting plot line about a magician that has a knack for exposing charlatan mediums, the movie fell into incredibly mundane dialogues between the main characters whom apparently had some amazing chemistry that I saw very little evidence of in their onscreen interactions. 
Emma Stone was delightful as the youthful clairvoyant Sophie, but her infatuation with Firth's unpleasant character Stanley was not only utterly implausible, but it was a bit gross since he appeared to look more like her father than her potential suitor. 
Firth's delivery of a cantankerous atheist was really underwhelming and the fact that he seemed to be shouting all of his lines got really annoying for me. The only thing that I did really enjoy was the lush French Riviera which formed a beautiful backdrop and really made me ache for the sunshine and a holiday by the sea. 
For a comedy this was really lacking the funny element and I walked away feeling flat.
FINAL SAY: No magic at all
2 Chili Peppers