Another whirlwind month slides by as I settle into my new employment and watch my grand-daughter grow more independent and beautiful by the day. I recently turned 51 and spent some time over the long weekend reflecting; as I do when I have a birthday, about the blessings that I have in my life. Whenever I have another lap around the sun, I am always blown away by how generous and kind my loved ones are and how terrifically my friends treat me. Again I was showered with love and attention, some gorgeous and thoughtful gifts and lots of messages and offers to share time in celebration of my life.  Blessings, so many blessings and much to be grateful for.
In the last month I have had so many reason to feel grateful, its hard to name all of them, but some highlights for me were The Bohemian Summer Festival, regular stays with Zoe, Ben and Freja in Bendigo due to work travel, Soundbathing with friends, my mums cast coming off the wrist that she broke in January, seeing Kinky Boots at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sip Champagne bar with Zoe, the Book Club group, trivia nights rebooting, Spicywatch movie night, the National Gallery of Victoria with Seth and watching the Oscars with my feet up and a glass of bubbles in hand!  A bloody amazing month and a reflection of how genuinely lucky I am to be able to engage and afford to be doing so many fantastic things. 
And, I also have my next month of movies lined up thanks to the awards season which always takes the thinking out of 'what to watch' for me for weeks to come. And don't worry - just in case you missed it, here are the nominees and winners in every category of the 2025 Academy Awards. Happy viewing!

Best Picture

• WINNER: Anora
• The Brutalist
• A Complete Unknown
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Emilia Pérez
• I'm Still Here
• Nickel Boys
• The Substance
• Wicked

Director

• WINNER: Anora — Sean Baker
• The Brutalist — Brady Corbet
• A Complete Unknown — James Mangold
• Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard
• The Substance — Coralie Fargeat

Leading Actor

• WINNER: Adrien Brody in The Brutalist
• Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown
• Colman Domingo in Sing Sing
• Ralph Fiennes in Conclave
• Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice

Leading Actress

• Cynthia Erivo in Wicked
• Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez
• WINNER: Mikey Madison in Anora
• Demi Moore in The Substance
• Fernanda Torres in I'm Still Here

Supporting Actor

• Yura Borisov in Anora
• WINNER: Keiran Culkin in A Real Pain
• Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown
• Guy Pearce in The Brutalist
• Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice

Supporting Actress

• Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown
• Ariana Grande in Wicked
• Felicity Jones in The Brutalist
• Isabella Rossellini in Conclave
• WINNER: Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez

Animated Feature Film

• WINNER: Flow
• Inside Out 2
• Memoir of a Snail
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl
• The Wild Robot

Cinematography

• WINNER: The Brutalist — Lol Crawley
• Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser
• Emilia Perez — Paul Guilhaume
• Maria — Ed Lachman
• Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke

Costume design

• A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips
• Conclave — Lisy Christl
• Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
• Nosferatu — Linda Muir
• WINNER: Wicked —  Paul Tazewell

Documentary feature film

• Black Box Diaries
• WINNER: No Other Land
• Porcelain War
• Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
• Sugarcane

Documentary short film

• Death by Numbers
• I Am Ready, Warden
• Incident
• Instruments of a Beating Heart
• WINNER: The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Film editing

• WINNER: Anora — Sean Baker
• The Brutalist — David Jancso
• Conclave — Nick Emerson
• Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling
• Wicked — Myron Kerstein

International feature film

• WINNER: Brazil: I'm Still Here
• Denmark: The Girl with the Needle
• France: Emilia Pérez
• Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
• Latvia: Flow

Makeup and hairstyling

• A Different Man — Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
• Emilia Pérez — Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
• Nosferatu — David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
• WINNER: The Substance — Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
• Wicked — Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

Music (original score)

• WINNER: The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg
• Conclave — Volker Bertelmann
• Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille
• Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
• The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers

Music (original song)

• WINNER: El Mal from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
• The Journey from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
• Like A Bird from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
• Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
• Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin

Production design

• The Brutalist — Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
• Conclave — Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
• Dune: Part Two — Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
• Nosferatu — Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
• WINNER: Wicked — Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Short film (animated)

• Beautiful Men
• WINNER: In the Shadow of the Cypress
• Magic Candles
• Wander to Wonder
• Yuck!

Short film (live action)

• A Lien
• Anuja
• WINNER: I'm Not a Robot
• The Last Ranger
• The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Sound

• A Complete Unknown — Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
• WINNDER: Dune: Part Two — Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
• Emilia Pérez — Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
• Wicked — Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
• The Wild Robot — Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts

Visual effects

• Alien: Romulus — Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
• Better Man — Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
• WINNER: Dune: Part Two — Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
• Wicked — Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould

Adapted screenplay

• A Complete Unknown — Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
• WINNER: Conclave — Screenplay by Peter Straughan
• Emilia Pérez — Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
• Nickel Boys — Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
• Sing Sing — Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield

Original screenplay

• WINNER: Anora — Written by Sean Baker
• The Brutalist — Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
• A Real Pain — Written by Jesse Eisenberg
• September 5 — Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
• The Substance — Written by Coralie Fargeat

A REAL PAIN
Release Date: 2024
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 90 mins
A comedy-drama, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg who also stars in the lead role, A Real Pain delivers a thought provoking at relationship that is greatly bolstered by Keiran Culkin's incredible portrayal of Benji, a troubled young man who swings between being magnetically care free and offensively careless. Culkin landed the both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor off the strength of his role here and he shines very brightly as Benji. 
David and Benji, mismatched and once close cousins, take a pilgrimage to Poland using the funds that their deceased grandmother left for them. They join a Jewish heritage tour in the hopes of seeing the home that she grew up in and connecting with their Jewish family history. Along the way the odd couple cousins engage in a series of activities that has a profound effect of them both and upon their relationship with each other. 
I loved the way that this movie played out, with Benji's 'real pain' character actually being the main catalyst for change and growth in others, in spite of his own misgivings and at times complete disregard for social norms and etiquette.
A Real Pain is as charming as it is disturbing, brilliantly written and perfectly cast, it's one not to miss. 
FINAL SAY: We used to be different. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

There are good and bad things about having the Golden Globe Awards on so early in the year. The worst thing is that in Australia we always get movies later than the U.S. and this means that we aren't able to see everything before the event, which for me is kind of annoying. However, if you like to know in advance what is actually worth seeing, then this event will line up your viewing options for the next three months, and that could be seen as a very big bonus!
​It would appear that Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist have shot straight to the top of the must see lists for most, and in television it was Shogun's night across the board. However, at the end of the day all of the nominated films and programs are worthy viewing and my 'to see' list just grew another foot in length!
Hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, the awards night went off without any hitches and all of Nikki's jokes seemed to land reasonably well. No stars walked out or no-one got a slapping either which is always a good sign. Her pokes at Timothee Chalamet's facial hair were funny, her 'let's be honest Hollywood' quips were amusing and she may have just scraped in with her 'Diddy' jokes - but only just! And let's not forget this gem that she dropped - "The point of making art is not to win an award. The point of making art is to start a tequila brand so popular that you never have to make art again.”
Demi Moore gave a terrific speech about her years of service in the industry, Zoe Saldana delivered a heart felt speech that appeared to be genuinely emotional (but with actors who can really ever know?) and Tadanobu Asano from Shogun delivered the most amusing and excited acceptance speech for the evening. 
And just in case you missed it all, fret not, you know I got your back. Here are the nominees and winners for each award category:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

• Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez" — Winner
• Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
• Selena Gomez, "Emilia Pérez"
• Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
• Margaret Qualley, "The Substance"
• Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy

• Jean Smart, "Hacks" — Winner
• Kristen Bell, "Nobody Wants This"
• Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary"
• Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear"
• Selena Gomez, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Kathryn Hahn, "Agatha All Along"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

• Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain" — Winner
• Yura Borisov, "Anora"
• Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
• Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"
• Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"
• Denzel Washington, "Gladiator II"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama

• Hiroyuki Sanada, "Shōgun" — Winner
• Donald Glover, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"
• Jake Gyllenhaal, "Presumed Innocent"
• Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses"
• Eddie Redmayne, "The Day of the Jackal"
• Billy Bob Thornton, "Landman"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Jessica Gunning, "Baby Reindeer" — Winner
• Liza Colon-Zayas, "The Bear"
• Hannah Einbinder, "Hacks"
• Dakota Fanning, "Ripley"
• Allison Janney, "The Diplomat"
• Kali Reis, "True Detective: Night Country"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Tadanobu Asano, "Shōgun" — Winner
• Javier Bardem, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story"
• Harrison Ford, "Shrinking"
• Jack Lowden, "Slow Horses"
• Diego Luna, "La Maquina"
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, "The Bear"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy

• Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear" — Winner
• Adam Brody, "Nobody Wants This"
• Ted Danson, "A Man on the Inside"
• Steve Martin, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Jason Segel, "Shrinking"

Best Screenplay — Motion Picture

• Peter Straughan, "Conclave" — Winner
• Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" 
• Sean Baker, "Anora"
• Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, "The Brutalist"
• Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
• Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

• Ali Wong, "Single Lady" — Winner
• Jamie Foxx, "What Had Happened Was"
• Nikki Glaser, "Someday You'll Die"
• Seth Meyers, "Dad Man Walking"
• Adam Sandler, "Love You"
• Ramy Youssef, "More Feelings"

Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language

• "Emilia Pérez" — Winner
• "All We Imagine as Light"
• "The Girl with the Needle"
• "I'm Still Here"
• "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
• "Vermiglio"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Colin Farrell, "The Penguin" — Winner
• Richard Gadd, "Baby Reindeer"
• Kevin Kline, "Disclaimer"
• Cooper Koch, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story"
• Ewan McGregor, "A Gentleman in Moscow"
• Andrew Scott, "Ripley"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jodie Foster, "True Detective: Night Country" — Winner
• Cate Blanchett, "Disclaimer"
• Cristin Milioti, "The Penguin"
• Sofia Vergara, "Griselda"
• Naomi Watts, "Feud: Capote vs. The swans"
• Kate Winslet, "The Regime"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Demi Moore, "The Substance" — Winner
• Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
• Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
• Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
• Zendaya, "Challengers"
• Mikey Madison, "Anora"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man" — Winner
• Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
• Hugh Grant, "Heretic"
• Gabriel LaBelle, "Saturday Night"
• Jesse Plemons, "Kinds of Kindness"
• Glen Powell, "Hit Man"

Best Motion Picture — Animated

• "Flow" — Winner
• "Inside Out 2"
• "Memoir of a Snail"
• "Moana 2"
• "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"
• "The Wild Robot"

Best Director — Motion Picture

• Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist" — Winner
• Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
• Sean Baker, "Anora"
• Edward Berger, "Conclave"
• Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
• Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"

Best Original Score — Motion Picture

• Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, "Challengers" — Winner
• Volker Bertelmann, "Conclave"
• Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
• Kris Bowers, "The Wild Robot"
• Clément Ducol, Camille, "Emilia Pérez"
• Hans Zimmer, "Dune: Part Two"

Best Original Song — Motion Picture

• "El Mal," by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard (from "Emilia Pérez") — Winner
• "Beautiful That Way," by Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li and Andrew Wyatt (from "The Last Showgirl")
• "Compress/Repress," by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino (from "Challengers")
• "Forbidden Road," by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek ("Better Man")
• "Kiss The Sky," by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi (from "The Wild Robot")
• "Mi Camino," by Clément Ducol and Camille (from "Emilia Pérez")

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

• "Wicked" — Winner
• "Alien: Romulus"
• "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
• "Deadpool & Wolverine"
• "Gladiator II"
• "Inside Out 2"
• "Twisters"
• "The Wild Robot"

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• "Baby Reindeer" — Winner
• "Disclaimer"
• "Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story"
• "The Penguin"
• "Ripley"
• "True Detective: Night Country"

Best Television Series — Comedy Or Musical

• "Hacks" — Winner
• "Abbott Elementary"
• "The Bear"
• "The Gentlemen"
• "Nobody Wants This"
• "Only Murders in the Building"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama

• Anna Sawai, "Shōgun" — Winner
• Kathy Bates, "Matlock"
• Emma D'Arcy, "House of the Dragon"
• Maya Erskine, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
• Keira Knightley, "Black Doves"
• Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"

Best Television Series — Drama

• "Shōgun" — Winner
• "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
• "The Diplomat"
• "Squid Game"
• "Slow Horses"
• "The Day of the Jackal"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Fernanda Torres, "I'm Still Here" — Winner
• Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
• Angelina Jolie, "Maria"
• Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
• Tilda Swinton, "The Room Next Door"
• Kate Winslet, "Lee"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist" — Winner
• Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
• Daniel Craig, "Queer"
• Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
• Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
• Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Motion Picture — Drama

• "The Brutalist" — Winner
• "A Complete Unknown"
• "Conclave"
• "Dune: Part Two"
• "Nickel Boys"
• "September 5"

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• "Emilia Pérez" — Winner
• "Anora"
• "Challengers"
• "A Real Pain"
• "The Substance"
• "Wicked"

​WICKED- PART 1
Release Date: 2024 
Rating: PG
Running Time: 160 mins 
The famous musical and untold story of the Witches of Oz is brought to life on the big screen thanks to director Jon M. Chu. Wicked - Part 1 delivers a delightful, colourful and highly entertaining first chapter in this two part extravaganza with tonnes of singing, dancing and magical effects that will delight audiences both young and old.
Elphaba was born with green skin, which has made her an outcast all of her life. However, when she accepted into Shiz Academy (an esteemed school of magic) she learns that she has hidden and powerful magic within her that she has not yet tapped in to. She forms an unlikely friendship with Glinda, a popular and privileged witch; and the two begin an extraordinary adventure in the land of Oz. 
I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it actually was, and believe me when I say that the hype is truly deserving, this is fabulous watch and a lot of good fun. Ariana Grande is perfectly cast as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is a powerhouse as Elphaba, and the two together are (pardon the pun) pure magic!
There's a lot to enjoy here and at almost three hours watch time, you get plenty bang for your buck out of this gem. 
FINAL SAY: Defying Gravity.
4 Chilli Peppers

Just like 2023, the viewing opportunities in 2024 presented themselves so fast that I found it pretty much impossible to juggle all of my streaming services and keep up with all of the new releases at the cinema. The over-abundance of new release material to trawl through was  absolutely phenomenal!
There was a head spinning amount of high quality viewing material to absorb this year, and I was very grateful to be constantly distracted from all of the drama that 2024 delivered with a saturation of fantastic cinematic offerings. I also, again, received many welcome high quality recommendations from friends and family throughout the year as well, which stretched my viewing choices even further. Long story short, we were all very spoilt for choice and if you couldn't find something to watch, then in my opinion, you just weren't trying hard enough!
I managed to get through 211 movies and 143 television series this year. Basically, I was flat out watching something every day of the year and I still didn't get to half of the material that still sits waiting on my 'to see' lists, which has now blow out to more than 600 titles, so it is fair to say that I am not going to be slowing down any time soon either. 
The task of seeing everything has become arduous beyond anyone's means, and unless you are willing to permanently strap yourself to the couch and do nothing but watch movies and TV, there is just no way that you can manage to see it all in one year. So now more than ever, you must be discerning, and hopefully this is where I can offer a hand and some sound advice around what you should be investing in your time in; if you haven't done so already. 
Again, I was thrilled to be able to view so many great movies and TV across all genres, for which I am always grateful. In particular, I again really appreciated seeing so many excellent horror, thriller and fantasy offerings this year; most of which boasted stunningly good visuals and terrifically original storylines. I am now sure that audiences are becoming more acclimated to a few jumps and jolts, and more and more people are embracing high quality horror, thriller and challenging viewing choices, because these genres do thankfully seem to still be on the rise. 
And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2024, full movie reviews can be found on the corresponding genre pages in the drop down menu above. 
BEST MOVIES (2024 release):
Anora - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Dune Pt2 - Sci-fi 4 Chilli Peppers 
Longlegs - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
The Wild Robot - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers
Late Night with the Devil - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
The Substance - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Handling the Undead - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Alien Romulus - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers ​
Hitman - Romance 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Iron Claw- Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
MadS - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Oddity - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Civil War - Action/ War 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice - Supernatural 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Smile 2 - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Inside Out 2 - Kid Friendly 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
HONOURABLE MENTIONS - 2024 Release:
Speak No Evil- Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 
Heretic - Thriller 3 Chilli Peppers 
Abigail - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 
Lisa Frankenstein - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Action 3 Chilli Peppers 
Deadpool and Wolverine - Action/Super 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2024 releases that I didn't get around to seeing until 2023:
Poor Things - Art House 5 Chilli Peppers 
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers
Pink Floyd: The Wall - Musical 4 Chilli Peppers 
Blackfish - Doco 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Killers of the Flower Moon - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Departures - International 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Holdovers - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Tale of Tales - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Rye Lane - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
Wild Tales - International 4 Chilli Peppers 
Society of the Snow - International 4 Chilli Peppers 
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
American Fiction - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Leo - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
For Sama - Doco 4 Chilli Peppers
Zone of Interest -  War 4 Chilli Peppers 
Dream Scenario - Art House 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
After the Wedding - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Babylon - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Bread and Tulips - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Rent-a-Pal-Gritty 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Coffee Table - Gritty 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
All of Us Strangers - Romance 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Five Devils - International 3 Chilli Peppers 
Nyad - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Blood and Gold - War 3 Chilli Peppers 
Sisu - Action 3 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2024:
Baby Reindeer - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Scavengers Reign - Sci Fi/ Animation 5 Chilli Peppers 
The Bear S3 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Mr and Mrs Smith - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Boiling Point -Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
FALLOUT- Sci-Fi 5 Chilli Peppers 
The Boys S3 - Super 4 Chilli Peppers
One Day  - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
Love Has Won: Cult of the Mother God - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers 
True Detective: Night Country -  Thriller 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Gentlemen- Crime/ comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Reservation Dogs S3 - Comedy/ drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Yellowstone (Final Eps) - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Colin from Account S2 - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
ERIC- Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
House of the Dragon S2- Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S2 - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Shrinking S2- Comedy/ Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S6 - Horror/ comedy  3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Secret Level- Animation/ Sci Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Earth Abides - Sci Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
3 Body Problem - Sci Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
THEM 2: SCARE - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

2024 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
Kaos- Fantasy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Life and Beth S2 - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Love on the Spectrum S2- Reality 3 Chilli Peppers 
Nobody Wants This - Romance/ comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Mirror Mirror S3  - Documentary  3 Chilli Peppers 
Boy Swallows Universe- Comedy/ drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Such Brave Girls - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
For Those About to Die - Period Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Ghosts S4-Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Baskets S4 - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Killing It S2- Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers
Fisk S3- Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers
Entitled - Art House 3 Chilli Peppers 
Mr Big Stuff - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Palm Royale - Drama/comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
It's Florida Man - Dramatisation  3 Chilli Peppers 
Queer Eye S9 - Reality 3 Chill Peppers 
Dick Turpin - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
How We Wore (Celeste Barber) - Documentary 3 Chilli Peppers ​

THE SUBSTANCE
Release Date: 2024
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 141 mins 
A satirical body-horror; written, directed and co-produced by Coralie Fargeat that is sure to raise some eye brows and churns some weaker stomachs with it's sickly, visceral and highly amusing stab at Hollywood's relentless cries for youth and beauty. 
Actress and fitness guru Elisabeth Sparkle has just turned 50 and her sleazy producer Harvey is already showing her the door. Unwilling to go down without a fight, Elizabeth orders a mysterious serum called 'The Substance' that promises a more youthful and perfect version of the self. Elizabeth immediately administers the serum and sets about re-establishing herself in Hollywood as Sue, a much hotter and youthful version of herself. But youth and beauty always has a price, and Elizabeth finds that she is now on a very slippery slope of desperation and depravity.
The Substance is a brilliant horror film; it has an interesting storyline, lots of gross out scenes and some really solid performances from both Demi Moore as Elizabeth and Margaret Qualley as Sue.  Honestly, this could be Moore's big come back film, she is just great in this.
In truth, there is a lot to like about this movie. Sure, the last half hour is straight up bonkers, but who cares? No-ones goes to see a body-horror flick expecting to see a completely sensible slice of cinema anyway, so just strap in and enjoy the ride, I guarantee that you won't forget it! 
FINAL SAY: There has been a slight misuse of the Substance.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

I know that I say this every year, but what happened to October and November? I mean really - what happened? One minute I am contemplating Halloween candy in the shops and the next thing I know I'm putting up the Christmas tree and planning Christmas events. And I do not recall how it happened or how I arrived at December so quickly. Only 14 working days until the summer break commences and this year it is going to be an especially big ending for me because I am going to be saying farewell to a cohort of children that I have been with for seven years, along side of the blind student that I have supported. 
It is huge saying goodbye to a cohort, a role and an identity that I have had for seven years, but I am so ready for a new challenge and I am more than ready (although I do care for them dearly) to farewell the children that I have travelled with throughout their primary school experience. It will be a bitter-sweet farewell and an emotional one as well, that much I am sure of.
And now, over the 23 days I commence the count down to Christmas and begin to consider the wonderful opportunities that I will soon have to once again share more time with my nearest and dearest, and I cannot wait! The December calendar is fast filling up with fun events, festive celebrations and triumphant endings and I am really looking forward to enjoying all of these events with enthusiasm and energy, and the only way to do that is to make sure that I rest well, eat well and mindfully take care of myself along the way to avoid burn out. But none of this should really be a problem for me, I am quite good at setting boundaries and caring for my own wellbeing these days and I have every intention of arriving at the end of term feeling both fresh and relaxed. 
I have even made sure that my December viewing list has been created so that I don't miss any festive flick options. I am hoping to tackle (before Christmas arrives) a number of Yuletide themed undertakings:

• The Heist Before Christmas - Foxtel
• Silent Night - Foxtel
• How to Make Gravy - Foxtel
• There's Something in the Barn - Foxtel
• Dear Santa - Foxtel
• Nugget is Dead - Stan
• Fatman - Stan 
• Ru Paul's Christmas Drag Race - Stan
• No Activity Christmas Special - Stan 
• Christmas Bloody Christmas - Shudder
• That Christms - Netflix
• Nativity 2 - Netflix
• The Man Who Invented Christmas - SBS
• Terrifier 3 - Apple 

And can I please recommend, if you haven't seen it already, a movie that has become my new favourite Christmas movie? You can find the review below if you are interested and I highly recommend that you make some time to see it if you can (currently streaming on Netflix):

THE HOLDOVERS
Release Date: 2023
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 133 mins 
A Christmas drama, directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson that explores the relationships that can develop when people are placed together by circumstance. With a slew of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, The Holdovers garnered overwhelming critic acclaim and saw supporting actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph deservingly take both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. 
It's December 1970 and an uptight professor called Paul Hunham has been chosen to stay behind at Barton Academy, an all male boarding school in New England for privileged young men. Over the Christmas break Paul has to supervise the five remaining students who were not collected at the end of term. As the days go by the boys eventually leave, and only one angry upstart named Angus remains behind with Paul, along with the cafeteria manager Mary Lamb, who has no reason to return home for Christmas since her son Curtis was recently killed in the Vietnam War.  Together they share the days and their stories with each other over the festive season. 
This is a beautiful and satisfying story that really touched my heart. The performances are first class all around with Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa all delivering emotionally and faultlessly. The Holdovers has just become my favourite Christmas movie of all time, it's an unmissable viewing.
FINAL SAY: For most people life is like a henhouse ladder: shitty and short. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

The definition of ‘being whole’ means being ‘complete in and of itself’. Therefore, you can feel whole without being dependent on someone else to fill in any missing parts of yourself. The words 'you feel complete' can rustle up a lot of mixed feelings for people, because I find that in general, many people rarely, if ever, actually feel complete. 
From early on in our lives, we are taught that other people influence our wholeness and that people’s opinions and expectations of us are very important. This kind of conditioning takes seed and roots down deeply within us, building in our conscious and unconscious minds and allowing us to form unhealthy relationships with our sense of self and our ability to feel whole as we are. 
Many of us will spend our days trying so hard to be perfect that we may even begin to don social masks or perform in certain ways to try and please others, and in the process we may actually lose some sense of ourselves and move further and further away from being our whole true selves.
So what does being whole actually mean if it doesn’t depend on anyone else? 
Being whole means to be ourselves and to believe in oneself. You don’t feel the need to change everything about yourself or hide your passions or your truths to fit in. You don’t believe that you are too full of problems to be loved and instead realise that no one is perfect. In its rawest form, being whole is means being at peace and comfort with who you are at all times. 
The biggest factor in being whole is being healthy. Not just physically healthy, but mentally and spiritually as well. Lots of people incorrectly confuse physical health with wholeness, but this is only one slice of a very large pie of wholeness. If we are lacking in spirituality, or have poor mental health due to anxiety or stress, we will struggle with being or feeling whole. This is why some people, in spite of having very good physical health and financial wealth will still struggle to feel whole. 
Anger, worries, and fears that we hold on to are things that cause us to lose some of our wholeness. With everything we try to carry and every hidden burden we bear, we have to drop a part of ourselves in order to carry it. Every time we compromise a part of ourselves to compensate for our challenging feelings, we lose a piece of our wholeness. Doing this time and time again, over many years, will lead to a massive deficit in our sense of self and our ability to feel whole. 
This is why I often remind people of the importance of meditation. It allows you to look into yourself, and find what you are missing to make yourself whole. You can focus on positive thoughts and put down some of your stresses and worries. It has been the number one best thing that I have taken up to improve my overall wellness and increase my ability to feel whole and I cannot imagine my life without meditation now. 
And contrary to what people think, you do not need to be sitting crossed legged on a cushion chanting 'OM' to be meditating. Meditation can also be:

• Mindful Practises like art therapy or breathe work
• Counting mala beads
• Listening to gongs or sound bowls or having sound baths
• Moon or star gazing
• Eating in meditation
• Fire, flame or smoke watching
• Movement like qigong, tai chi, yoga, gardening and walking.
• ​Mantra chanting
• Water or bath relaxation 
• 5 sense visualisations 
• Contemplations 
• Mindful colouring in

Try some methods for yourself, see if any of these options allow you to get back to a sense of wholeness or inner wellness. Remember that wholeness is a mind, body and spirit practise, and undoing years of programming takes time, so go gently with yourself, try not to have any expectations and most of all - enjoy the journey. I hope that you can find your way home and back to a better sense of wholeness within yourself through the practise of meditation. 

THE IRON CLAW
Release Date: 2024 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 132 mins 
A biographical sports drama film, written and directed by Sean Durkin about the Von Erich's, a family of famous professional wrestlers who appear to be constantly cursed with family troubles and tragedy. With an all star ensemble cast, this tale of family loyalty and parental pressure delivers an emotional and affecting punch that will leave you reaching for the tissue box. 
It's the early 80's and now retired professional wrestler Fritz Von Erich, known for his 'Iron Claw' wrestling move, has married and had five sons. One son died as a child and the other four are constantly groomed and pressured as they grow up to become the next Heavy Weight Wrestling Champion of America, a dream of their fathers that he has now instilled into them. His passion for success drives his entire family not only to push themselves as far as they can go, but beyond and into tragedy.
Essentially this isn't just a tale of tragedy, it is a tale about a corrosive father that systematically destroys his family from the inside out, and at times it is genuinely hard to watch. The cast deliver perfectly, with the fours sons played convincingly by Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons. Holt McCallany is tremendous as their overbearing father and Maura Tierney rounds out the cast nicely as the emotionally distant matriarch Doris Von Erich. 
Touching and profoundly disturbing in equal measure, The Iron Claw will make you weepy with its dire and drastic outcomes. 
FINAL SAY: Ever since I was a child, people said my family was cursed. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

We are freshly back from our incredible island holiday and we are now trying to re-adjust to the realities of life again. As our leave comes to an end, Craig and I reflect on the wonderful time that we have enjoyed together. We have done so many lovely things and shared special time with all of the important people in our lives, we have been abroad and reminded ourselves of what it means to be off the clock and living on our own terms. And it was perfect, honestly, the time was just perfect in every single way. 
Fiji was in a word - incredible! It far exceeded our expectations and we had the most wonderful time. I wouldn't really recommend the mainland of Fiji, or anywhere around Nadi for a holiday, but the island that we spent our time on called Savusavu, was nothing short of a tropical paradise.  Just a short one hour flight from Nadi, in a tiny little 18 seater plane and you find yourself smack bang in the lushest, greenest jungle imaginable with the warmest tropical waters teeming with tropical fish and colourful corals. We spent seven perfect days in the Fijian sunshine; hiking, kayaking and snorkelling everyday. We had total Fiji - Shi Shi - Beverly Hills all the way! We ate like kings, slept like queens and didn't do anything but enjoy ourselves completely for the entire time. 
We kayaked the pristine Salt Lake of Savusavu, we snorkelled the tropical and much renown coral reefs of Natewa Bay and we ate three course meals three times a day! We lived the high life and it was heaven! Craig and I always have a blast when we travel together and we share the same level of curiosity and need for relaxation when we go abroad. We love to explore and we love to rest. We love to eat and we love to be active, and we always manage to make memories that will be with us for a lifetime.
Craig is a fantastic travel companion, he always offers me the window seat on the plane, he always lets me hide my face in his neck when I am terrified (which I did when we took off in that tiny plane) he always dresses smartly for dinner and holds my hand whenever we enter a room and he never gets upset or angry if I wuss-out on anything, which I didn't do this time but have done on trips before. Like me, he loves the frills and fancies that comes with a five star holiday, but he is also happy to go back to fish and chips and a beer when its done without a hiccup. 
And now, we enter the reality zone once again, the holiday that we had planned for the last 18 months suddenly over. But we are happy to be back, with a million beautiful memories and a swag of braggy photos to reminisce about, we aren't sad or disappointed. We feel blessed that we have been able to have such an astounding experience together and share yet another trip abroad. It's been a magical time and now, well I suppose that we should start to save our money once again, focus on what we have here and now for a while and smile because we were lucky enough to have done something so special together. 
For a little time, we got to live a life that was free from responsibility, free from chores and expectations and free from routine. In that time we could just take to the warm tropical sea whenever we felt like it, falling into the rocking waves together and completely letting go of all worry and concern, and just being in the moment 100% - you don't get that feeling everyday, it's special. And what a feeling that was while it lasted. That's the feeling that I am holding on to from this whole experience; the feeling of being alone, together and completely at peace. 

NYAD 
Release Date: 2023
Rating: PG 
Running Time: 121 mins 
A biographical sports drama film about swimmer Diana Nyad's multiple attempts in the early 2010's to swim the Straits of Florida. Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (in their feature narrative film directorial debut) and written by Julia Cox, the movie is based on Nyad's 2015 memoir Find a Way. 
Diana Nyad, now sixty, resolves to accomplish the one thing that has eluded her - a 110 hour nonstop swim from Cuba to Florida, which she unsuccessfully attempted 30 years earlier. With her best friend Bonnie Stoll and a team of experts behind her, Diana sets out to achieve the unachievable with a dogged and inexhaustible determination. 
This is a fantastic tale of motivation and unwavering determination, that is not only really interesting to watch but  incredibly well acted with Annette Benning as Diana Nyad and Jodie Foster as her loyal best friend Bonnie Stoll. Both women received nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, the 81st Golden Globe Awards and the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards for their efforts here and after seeing this film, I can see why. 
You do not need to like sports dramas to enjoy what Nyad is delivering, because this story is far more concerned with the human spirit than it is with swimming. 
FINAL SAY: Never, ever give up!
3 Chilli Peppers ​

Another whirlwind month passes me by, and boy what a month it has been! I kicked off my birthday long weekend in style with a trip to the movies to see Dune Part 2 in Gold Class and then followed it up the next evening with a New Moon women's circle and sound bath session. Went to the Begonia festival, out for lunch and to the theatre with my mum the day before my birthday and then on my actual birthday I was spoilt rotten by my loving family and generous friends who showered with both attention and affection in buckets.
I had breakfast made for me, a gigantic flashy chocolate fudge cake and Thai food from my favourite Thai restaurant in Ballarat. And the gifts! Holy cow was I spoilt! So many generous offerings and lots of wonderful follow up adventures to be had as well that were gifted to me. Craig got me a Fitbit and my favourite French perfume, Seth got me a Dahlia flower arranging class and lunch - just for the two of us, Zoe got me a pass to the spa for a sauna, soak and a massage at Sanctuary Day Spa, Helen got me tickets to see Groundhog Day at the theatre in Melbourne in April and Michelle got me a French cooking Class in Sorrento that she is taking me to in April as well. Winning!
On top of that I went out to Drag Bingo with my work team, for a night of too many cocktails and so many belly laughs. Around 25 people came out to celebrate my 50th from work, which was just incredible; it was an amazing night! Georgia took me out for a Japanese dinner and wants to take me to Melbourne for a night out down the track and I also received a number of very kind messages and lovely gifts from many other people that share their time and energy with me. It was stunningly overwhelming, emotional and deeply moving for me. Turns out that turning 50 is not a bad thing at all, its a bloody awesome thing! And this year is shaping up to get better and better as it goes along. 
You would think that I couldn't top becoming a Bibi and turning 50, and yeah okay, maybe I can't actually top those things, but more joy is definitely coming! I start my long service leave in a few weeks and will be having a couple of months off work which is awesome on its own, but Craig and I have also decided to get away together for a break and we are heading to Fiji for a holiday in May. An overseas holiday - oh joy - it has been 5 years since Craig and I have travelled overseas together so we are really looking forward to this get away. And the extra time off is going to give me so much more time with Zoe, Ben and Freja as well. The distance between us has been really challenging since Freja arrived in the world and I am looking forward to having more quality time with my now extended family over the next couple of months - I just cannot wait! So yes! Life is beautiful and filled with joy and bursting with opportunity and good fortune, and I am so grateful for everything that I am experiencing. 
Oh, and let's not forget that the Oscar's also happened the day after my birthday this year as well, which just happened to be a public holiday so Helen and I hit the couch with some bubbles and a giant wedge of cheese to take it all in.
And just in case you missed it, here are the (not at all surprising) results:
OSCARS 2024 FULL LIST
Best picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer – WINNER
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Best actor in a supporting role
Sterling K Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer – WINNER
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Best actress in a leading role
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things – WINNER

Best actress in a supporting role
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers – WINNER

Best directing
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan – WINNER
Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

Best animated feature film
The Boy and the Heron – WINNER
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best adapted screenplay
American Fiction – WINNER
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best original screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

Best cinematography
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer- WINNER
Poor Things

Best costume design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER

Best documentary feature film
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol – WINNER

Best documentary short film
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop – WINNER
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

Best film editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things

Best international feature film
Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest – WINNER

Best makeup and hairstyling
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER
Society of the Snow

Best original score
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things

Best original song
The Fire Inside – Flamin’ Hot
I’m Just Ken – Barbie
It Never Went Away – American Symphony
Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) – Killers of the Flower Moon
What Was I Made For? – Barbie – WINNER

Best production design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER

Best animated short film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko – WINNER

Best live action short film
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – WINNER

Best sound
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest – WINNER

Best visual effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One – WINNER
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Release Date: 2023
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 206 mins 
An American western and also a crime drama, directed and produced by Martin Scorsese, who co-wrote the script with Eli Roth. Based on the book of the same name by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon is not just a movie, it an epic, with an all star ensemble cast and enough corruption and intrigue to keep viewers riveted for the almost three and half hour run time. 
In Oklahoma in the 1920's, a series of grisly deaths continues to befall the Osage Nation People that have a strong hold on the land; due to striking oil. Behind these murders is the land grabbing and influential cattle rancher William King Hale, who will even use his own kin (and any other means available) to take down the Osage members from the inside so that the land inheritances eventually fall into his own family's hands. 
This is a sad story, peppered with the worst kinds of people doing the worst kinds of things. The Osage Nation are represented beautifully, with the main focus firmly placed on Molly Burkhart, a headstrong Osage whose family owns oil headrights. She is portrayed perfectly by newcomer Lily Gladstone and she is extremely well supported by Leonardo DiCaprio as her conniving husband Ernest and Robert De Niro as the awful uncle William Hale. 
Parts of this film are really hard to watch; seeing gentle people being swindled and manipulated continuously is not at all joyful, however the strength, dignity and spirituality of the Osage shines through at every facet  of this movie, and overall, Killers of the Flower Moon delivers something reflective, noteworthy and valuable. A must see epic that deserved all of the accolades and attentions that it garnered. 
​FINAL SAY: Can you find the wolves in this picture?
4 Chilli Peppers ​

​​​The Golden Globe Awards Ceremony happened very early this year; Monday 8th January to be exact, so I was able to sit back, pour a wine and watch everything unfold in real time. Unfortunately, this year kind of delivered like a limp bit of celery and although many valiantly tried, there wasn't a lot of laughs to be found in the mix. In fact the whole night seemed a tad surly and disjointed, which is not what the Golden Globes need after only rising from the ashes of their 2022 controversy last year.
New host Jo Koy certainly fell flat with his lame jokes about 'Barbie's boobs' and he desperately struggling to maintain interest and applause at every turn; he even tossed the writers under the bus in an attempt to save himself at one point. Comics Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell's attempts at silly dance moves during an award presentation were tepidly receive and it just all felt a bit flat and dull to be honest. Not to mention all of the behind the hand/ bitchy banter  that appeared to be going on in the audience, and some actors even just up and left before the ceremony ended! So weird and a bit disrespectful really. 
And although all of the winners were of course super deserving, it was all extremely predictable and left me a tad underwhelmed this year, which was a shame. 
But never mind, I still now have a swag of films and TV to catch up on and my viewing choices are all laid out for the next few weeks, so that's a definite plus. 
And just in case you missed it, here are the nominees and winners:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers" — Winner
• Emily Blunt, "Oppenheimer"
• Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
• Julianne Moore, "May December"
• Jodie Foster, "Nyad"
• Rosamund Pike, "Saltburn"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

• Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Ryan Gosling, "Barbie"
• Robert DeNiro, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Charles Melton, "May December"
• William Dafoe, "Poor Things" 
• Mark Ruffalo, "Poor Things"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Ali Wong, "Beef" — Winner
• Brie Larson, "Lessons in Chemistry"
• Riley Keough, "Daisy Jones & the Six" 
• Elizabeth Olsen, "Love and Death"
• Juno Temple, "Fargo"
• Rachel Weisz, "Dead Ringers"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Steven Yeun, "Beef" — Winner
• Matt Bomer, "Fellow Travelers"
• Sam Claflin, "Daisy Jones & the Six"
• David Oyelowo, "Lawmen: Bass Reeves"
• Jon Hamm, "Fargo"
• Woody Harrelson, "White House Plumbers"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Elizabeth Debicki, "The Crown" — Winner
• Meryl Streep, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Hannah Waddingham, "Ted Lasso"
• Christina Ricci, "Yellowjackets" 
• Abby Elliott, "The Bear"
• J. Smith-Cameron, "Succession"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Matthew Macfadyen, "Succession" — Winner
• James Marsden, "Jury Duty"
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, "The Bear"
• Billy Crudup, "The Morning Show" 
• Alexander Skarsgård, "Succession"
• Alan Ruck, "Succession"

​
Best Screenplay — Motion Picture

• Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, "Anatomy of a Fall" — Winner
• Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, "Barbie"
• Tony McNamara, "Poor Things"
• Celine Song, "Past Lives"
• Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
• Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear" — Winner
• Jason Sudeikis, "Ted Lasso"
• Bill Hader, "Barry"
• Jason Segel, "Shrinking"
• Steve Martin, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

• "Ricky Gervais: Armageddon" — Winner
• "Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact"
• "Chris Rock: Selective Outrage"
• "Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer"
• "Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love"
• "Trevor Noah: Where Was I"

Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language

• "Anatomy of a Fall" (France) — Winner
• "The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)  
• "Society of the Snow" (Spain) 
• "Fallen Leaves" (Finland)
• "Past Lives" (United States)
• "Io capitano" (Italy)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear" — Winner
• Natasha Lyonne, "Poker Face"
• Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary" 
• Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Selena Gomez, "Only Murders in the Building"
• Elle Fanning, "The Great"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Kieran Culkin, "Succession" — Winner
• Brian Cox, "Succession"
• Pedro Pascal, "The Last of Us"
• Jeremy Strong, "Succession"
• Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses"
• Dominic West, "The Crown"

Best Motion Picture — Animated

• "The Boy and the Heron" — Winner
• "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
• "Elemental"
• "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
• "Wish"
• "Suzume"

Best Director — Motion Picture

• Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Greta Gerwig, "Barbie" 
• Yorgos Lanthimos, "Poor Things"
• Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
• Celine Song, "Past Lives"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Emma Stone, "Poor Things" — Winner
• Margot Robbie, "Barbie"
• Natalie Portman, "May December"
• Fantasia Barrino, "The Color Purple" 
• Alma Pöysti, "Fallen Leaves"
• Jennifer Lawrence, "No Hard Feelings"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
• Leonardo DiCaprio, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Colman Domingo, "Rustin"
• Andrew Scott, "All of Us Strangers"
• Barry Keoghan, "Saltburn"

Best Original Score — Motion Picture

• Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Robbie Robertson, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Mica Levi, "The Zone of Interest"
• Daniel Pemberton, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" 
• Jerskin Fendrix, "Poor Things"
• Joe Hisaishi, "The Boy and the Heron"

Best Original Song — Motion Picture

• "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (from "Barbie") — Winner
• "Dance the Night" by Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (from "Barbie") 
• "Addicted to Romance" by Bruce Springsteen (from "She Came to Me")
• "Road to Freedom" by Lenny Kravitz (from "Rustin") 
• "Peaches" by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker (from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie") 
• "I'm Just Ken" by Andrew Wyatt and Mark Ronson (from "Barbie")

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

• "Barbie" — Winner
• "Oppenheimer"
• "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
• "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
• "John Wick: Chapter 4"
• "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1" 
• "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" 

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• "Beef" — Winner
• "Lessons in Chemistry"
• "Daisy Jones & the Six"
• "All the Light We Cannot See" 
• "Fellow Travelers"
• "Fargo"

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• "The Bear" — Winner
• "Ted Lasso"
• "Abbott Elementary"
• "Jury Duty"
• "Only Murders in the Building"
• "Barry"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Sarah Snook, "Succession" — Winner
• Bella Ramsey, "The Last of Us"
• Helen Mirren, "1923"
•  Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"
• Emma Stone, "The Curse"
• Imelda Staunton, "The Crown"

Best Television Series – Drama

• "Succession" — Winner
• "The Last of Us"
• "The Crown"
• "The Morning Show"
• "The Diplomat"
• "1923"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers" — Winner
• Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"
• Matt Damon, "Air"
• Joaquin Phoenix, "Beau is Afraid"
• Timothée Chalamet, "Wonka"
• Nicolas Cage, "Dream Scenario"

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• "Poor Things" — Winner
• "Barbie"
• "American Fiction"
• "The Holdovers"
• "May December" 
• "Air"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon" — Winner
• Carey Mulligan, "Maestro"
• Sandra Hüller, "Anatomy of a Fall"
• Annette Bening, "Nyad"
• Greta Lee, "Past Lives"
• Cailee Spaeny, "Priscilla

Best Motion Picture — Drama

• "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• "Killers of the Flower Moon" 
• "Maestro"
• "Past Lives"
• "The Zone of Interest"
• "Anatomy of a Fall"

OPPENHEIMER 
Release Date: 2023
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 180 mins 
Possibly the most anticipated film of 2023, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer delivers an epic biographical tale that received massive critical acclaim. It also became the third highest grossing film of 2023, the highest grossing World War II film, the highest grossing biographical movie and the second highest grossing R rated film as well. The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Oppenheimer one of the top ten films of the year, and it is certainly already receiving a lot of pre-Oscar buzz. 
The movie is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in The Manhattan Project - the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons. Closely following the 2005 biographical novel American Prometheus by Kai Bid and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the career of Oppenheimer from his personal highs and successes to his fall from grace in the mid 1950's.
Cillian Murphy is nothing short of perfect in his portrayal of Oppenheimer and he is very well supported by a star studded cast that includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh. 
At three hours run time, Oppenheimer is not a film for light weight movie goers; extremely political and scientific in its delivery (neither of which bothered me) but you do need to be attentive if you want to really appreciate and follow the storyline. Visually it's a masterpiece, and an unforgettable cinematic experience. I went in with little to no knowledge about J. Robert Oppenheimer before I watched this, and I learned a lot; not only about the man himself, but also about nuclear weapons, the arms race and the lack of concern or care for life in general when it comes to the way in which these weapons are used.  Not an easy watch, but a very worthy one for sure. 
FINAL SAY: They won't fear it until they understand it. And they won't understand it until they've used it. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Just like 2022, the viewing opportunities in 2023 grew so fast that I found myself yet again juggling all of my streaming services and struggling to get to the cinema often enough because as always, I seemed to have an over-abundance of new release material to trawl through.
There was a head spinning amount of high quality viewing material to absorb this year, and I was very grateful to be constantly distracted from the political and environmental disasters of 2023 with cinematic offerings. I also received many welcome high quality recommendations from friends and family throughout the year as well, which has stretched my viewing choices as well.  Long story short, we were all very spoilt for choice in 2023, and if you couldn't find something to watch, then in my opinion, you just weren't trying hard enough!
I managed to get through 180 movies and 160 television series this year. Basically, I was flat out watching something every day of the year and I still didn't get to half of the material that still sits waiting on my 'to see' lists, which has now blow out to more than 580 titles, so it is fair to say that I am not going to be slowing down any time soon either. 
The task of seeing everything has become arduous beyond anyone's means, and unless you are willing to permanently strap yourself to the couch and do nothing but watch movies and TV, there is just no way that you can manage to see it all in one year. So now more than ever, you must be discerning, and hopefully this is where I can offer a hand and some sound advice around what you should be investing in your time in; if you haven't done so already. 
Again, I was thrilled to be able to view so many great movies and TV across all genres, for which I am always grateful. In particular, I again really appreciated seeing so many excellent horror, thriller and fantasy offerings this year; most of which boasted stunningly good visuals and terrifically original storylines. I am now sure that audiences are becoming more acclimated to a few jumps and jolts, and more and more people are embracing high quality horror, thriller and challenging viewing choices, because these genres do thankfully seem to still be on the rise. 
And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2023. 
BEST MOVIES (2023 release):
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Oppenheimer - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
The Banshees of Inisherin - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Saltburn - Thriller 4 Chilli Peppers 
Talk to Me - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Barbie - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
John Wick Chapter 4 - Action 4 Chilli Peppers
Evil Dead Rise- Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Killer - Crime/ Action 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Leave The World Behind - Sci-Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Action/ Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Guardians of the Galaxy VOL 3 - Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS - 2023 Release:
Skinamarink- Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 
No Hard Feelings - Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Action/ Adventure 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2023 releases that I didn't get around to seeing until 2023:
Pinocchio - Kid Friendly 5 Chilli Peppers 
Aftersun - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Triangle of Sadness - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
The Menu - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
You Wont Be Alone - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Worst Person in the World - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers 
Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break-  Art House 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Delicious - International 4 Chilli Peppers
Boiling Point - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
RRR - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Call - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Marcel the Shell with Shoes on - Kid Friendly 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Wildcat - Doco 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
A Man Called Otto - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Bones and All - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Survivor- War 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Where the Crawdads Sing - Romance  3 Chilli Peppers
Deerskin-Art House 3 Chilli Peppers 
Baby Teeth - Romance 3.5 
Be My Cat: A Film for Anne - Gritty 3 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2023:
Lessons in Chemistry - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
The Bear S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Succession S4 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
The Last of Us- Sci-Fi 5 Chilli Peppers 
Love and Death - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
Tiny Beautiful Things  - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Fall of the House of Usher - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Beef - Drama/ comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Slip - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Dave S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Righteous Gemstones S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Platonic - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Life and Beth - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
GEN V- Super/ Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Copenhagen Cowboy - Fantasy/ Art House 4 Chilli Peppers
Shrinking - Comedy/ Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Interview with the Vampire - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Mythic Quest S3- Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
FISK S2- Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Our Flag Means Death S2 - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Mirror, Mirror by Todd Samson S3 - Doco 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

2023 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
1899- Fantasy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Down for Love - Reality 3 Chilli Peppers 
The Big Door Prize - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Poker Face  - Crime 3 Chilli Peppers 
Cunk on Earth - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Daisy Jones and the Six - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Always Sunny in Philadelphia S16 - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Somebody, Somewhere S2-Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
High Desert - Comedy/ Crime 3 Chilli Peppers 
Jury Duty - Reality/ Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers
Aunty Donna's Café- Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers
Deadloch - Crime/comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Swarm- Horror  3 Chilli Peppers 
War on Waste  S2- Doco 3 Chill Peppers 
The Traitors - Reality 3 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S4- Horror/Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers ​

TALK TO ME
Release Date: 2023
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 95 mins 
An Australian supernatural horror, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. Talk To Me made its worldwide premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and has been seriously creeping out audiences ever since. With a virtually unknown cast and a seriously unsettling storyline, Talk To Me is destined to become a cult horror classic. 
A group of teenagers get their kicks from conjuring spirits, filming the outcomes and posting them onto social media. With the aid of a mysterious embalmed hand they are able to allow entities to possess their bodies, but as with all stories of possession, things go wrong and the consequences are of course, dreadful!
This is a genuinely gripping horror tale that had me captivated from start to end. Touching on concepts of grief, loss and the desperate need for belonging when it comes to teens, this film plays out in believable and disturbing ways, with the main actors giving convincing and emotional driven performances. 
Talk To Me really does get under your skin, and it also delivers enough gore and shock value to appease hardcore fans of horror. 
FINAL SAY: I let you in. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Today I went to a yoga class that was followed by a tea drinking and discussion session. It was nice to spend some time in the zen zone with other people because I usually practise yoga and meditation alone; daily, but mostly alone. As we sat about in the warm after-glow of our hour long yoga session, with well stretched limbs and a calm disposition, we sipped tea and discussed the topic of 'The Man Who Wanted to Change the World.'
We listened to a story about a man who set out in his 20's to change the world. In his 30's he decided that perhaps he would downscale and just change his village because the world was too large to manage. Then in his 40's he decided to just focus on changing his family because his village was too big. And then, yep you guessed it, in his 50's he finally realised that what he needed to change was himself and he finally looked inwards and embarked on a journey of self change. We then reflected on this story and shared our thoughts, understandings and experiences.
Everyone looked at it differently and shared a little slice of their own experience. Some people shared what they were hoping to achieve or change within themselves, some people talked about their challenges or desires for self improvement and some people just reflected.  There were no right or wrong answers or reflections, no judgements to be cast, it was a safe circle to share in and everyone was heard in their response. 
I was thinking a lot about the Man Who Wanted to Change the World as I listened to the story and it made me think of how far I have come in my own journey of self discovery. I think that like the 'Man' in the story I was rushing to change things around me in my 20's and 30's as well, and I even tried to change my family in my 40's only to realise that it was the way that I saw the world that needed to be healed. I didn't actually need to change anyone or anything, I needed to fix my own vibration and my perspective on things.
I was so negative and so fixated on the ugliness of life when I was younger. I wasted a lot of time judging people, making assumptions and speaking my mind like I had something important to say. I actually thought that I knew what was going on, but I didn't know shit. In truth, nothing that I had to say was very important at all and I was just masking a lot of hurt feelings and a lot of unresolved tension. I had to turn inwards and do a lot of self healing and a lot of mindfulness and a lot of rebuilding.  I had to change my perspective so that I could see what I now see. 
The world around did not need to be fixed, it was never my job to do that, in fact most of what I thought needed to be fixed just needed to be accepted. The only thing that ever needed to be fixed or changed was me and as soon as I understood that and got busy doing that, my whole life instantly changed for the better. I stop judging everyone and feeling like I needed to be in control of anyone or anything else, and I poured all of my time, effort and focus into managing me. Pretty soon,  everything else around me got so much easier and so much better. I was even starting to see beauty in the mundane, joy in the challenges and purpose in the pain. I was becoming whole because I was focusing on making myself a better person. 
And now, I no longer feel like I need to change the world around me at all. I accept the world and all of the people in it as they are with the knowledge that there is only one thing in this whole big beautiful world that I will ever have any control over, and that is me. Just me, nothing more and nothing less than that. And there is the most marvellous level of comfort to be found in that awareness that is not only liberating and freeing, but also empowering and dynamic. So now, like the 'Man Who Wanted to Change the World' I don't look to change anything or anyone but myself these days, and I am doing that one day at a  time and loving my life and the gift that it is more and more as I go. 

A MAN CALLED OTTO
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 126 mins 
Sometimes I forget just how great Tom Hanks can be and then I see him in a lead role like A Man Called Otto and I am just blown away by his delivery and emotional range. An American remake of the 2015 Swedish film  A Man Called Ove, which was also based on the novel by Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Otto delivers a touching, affecting and enjoyable tale that is sure to tug at your heartstrings.
Otto is a cynical widower that is tired of living and feels exhausted by the so called 'stupidity' of the people around him. Just as he is about to check out, a new family check in across the street and bring with them both complication and distraction for Otto. Through a series of emotional flashbacks we come to understand who Otto was and how he has become the bitter retiree that he is today.
Mariana Trevino shines as Otto's new neighbour Marisol and Cameron Britton delivers as his power walking neighbour Jimmy, but no-one can outshine Hanks here as he delivers all of Otto's quirks and habits with fastidious accuracy and that subtle humour that we have all come to love about Tom Hanks. To be honest though, everyone is good here, even the scruffy stray cat! A Man Called Otto is a feel good movie that everyone can get something out of. 
FINAL SAY: Basically, his heart is too big. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

We all deserve to know our worth and we all deserve love, kindness and compassion. Often we are very good at providing this to others, but rarely are we very good at offering it to ourselves. In fact usually we are our own worst enemies, judging ourselves harshly and treating ourselves with a lot less respect and gentleness than we deserve. We willingly life up others but happily allow ourselves to suffer. 
But alas! I am growing tired of playing out all of the tired and un-desired tropes with myself. I am growing very, very tired of constantly judging myself and being unkind to myself; and I am choosing to do things differently. I am motivated by being happy, I am moved by self love and kindness and I know that I am good person who deserves to be proud of myself and kinder to myself. Some of the thigs that I have said and done to myself over the years have been utterly unacceptable and refuse to beat myself up any longer. So here, on the precipice of my 50th birthday , I am making a move to choose better for myself. I am taking steps to mend my own fences, set my own boundaries and love myself for who I am today.
And to help me to do that, I have made a list of things that I am going to start doing for myself. Not because I want to change, but because I deserve to unshackle myself from the deeply unkind and relentlessly mean ways that I have treated myself in the past. I deserve to choose better for myself. So from here on, I choose to:

• Surround myself with people who are good for my mental health.
• Increase the time I spend doing self care practises. 
• Talk respectfully about myself when I am speaking to other people.
• Listen to my body and give it what it needs before I worry about everyone else's needs.
• Stop feeling guilty when I do nice things for myself. 
• Accept the ebb and flow of my feelings without needing to project them onto others. 
• Set boundaries around how I let others speak and interact with me. 
• Ask for help when I need it.
• Love and respect my body shape and stop being insecure about the way that I look. 
• Accept that my past is a story of who I was and not who I am now. 
• Eat well and sleep well. 
• Forgive myself for all of the shitty things that I did while I was still under construction. 
• Stop over-reacting or being over-complacent. 
• Acknowledge my strengths and achievements. 

Okay, so it probably won't happen overnight, by I tell you, it will happen. I am heading into my power decade, I can feel it. No more messing about for me, I have wasted too many tears and way too many years not loving myself enough or respecting myself enough and quite frankly, I'm totally sick and tired of it!
It's time to choose better for me, I deserve it!

AFTERSUN
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 102 mins
An autobiographical drama, written and directed by Charlotte Wells in her feature directorial debut. Aftersun premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 where it was nominated for the Golden Camera, and after receiving a BAFTA and Academy Award nomination, it was named one of the best films of 2022 by the National Board of Review. 
Calum is a young father about to turn 31, he is travelling with his 11 year old daughter, Sophie. They are vacationing together in Turkey, staying at a low budget resort and discovering things about each other and themselves along the way. 
Although Aftersun presents as a coming of age film, it is really about the gaps in generations and the times in our lives when we just 'don't seem to fit.' Sophie is a tween, struggling between being both too old and too young for so many things in life, and Calum, as a young single father, is as equally marooned as she is in social settings. Calum struggles with his depression that bubbles up from time to time, and he valiantly attempts to styme those feelings with his multitude of self help techniques and escapisms. Sophie, although young, is often in a role of support or tolerance and the whole film plays out with a melancholic reverence that is every bit as prickly as the feeling of after-sun upon the skin itself. 
I loved the glimpses of Sophie in the future, turning 31 herself and reflecting on her time with her young father, and I found the entire film profoundly affecting and deeply moving. Paul Mescal is incredibly good as Calum and Celia Rowlson-Hall beautifully delivers all of the nuance and sensitivity of Sophie with a wisdom that is well beyond her years.  Aftersun is definitely a film not to be missed. 
FINAL SAY:  I think  it's nice that we share the same sky. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Yes, we have all heard it before, the truth will set you free and liberate you and blah, blah, blah...but sometimes the truth can be a motherfucker and throat punch you to the ground, especially if you aren't expecting it. And even when well meaning people may deliver truths to you in a kind a gentle way, some truths are never easy to hear or experience. For me, there are a couple of really scathing truths that tend to sting like a bitch and unfortunately, never get easier to deal with no matter how wise or well travelled you may get to be in this life time. 
The first truth that blows is getting old, it's an unavoidable truth and we can't do anything about it, everyone on the planet is getting older by the day. And, to be honest I am actually really cool about getting old most of the time, but sometimes my ego takes a slap and I feel like the frumpiest, fattest and oldest person in the room on those days and I hate the truth about getting old. 
I get these feelings only when someone that is the same as age as me is around and another person points out (like I am not even in the room) that they look so much younger than me. Now it is also really poor manners in my mind to say shit like that anyway, but you would not believe how many times this has actually happened to me (concerningly more than twice now); and does it sting? Oh fuck yes it does! No one minds being old, but when people point out that someone looks a lot younger than you and they are your age, it is really not good for your ego. 
Generally, comments like this send me into a tail spin of confusion and self loathing. It usually goes like this: Am I looking ancient? Why don't I look younger? How much younger do they think that person is than me? I think they look my age, am I delusional? What am I doing wrong? I think I look okay, am I delusional about what I actually look like as well? Should I up my skin regimen? Do I need to get botoxed? What the fuck are people thinking when they look at me, that I look old?  Ahhhhh..... Basically it is gross and although I can accept the truth about getting older, the comments made about looking older than a peer are just too harsh a truth to swallow and I wish people wouldn't do it. 
However, that being said all power to the lucky people who do look younger than their age, that's awesome for them, just crappy for me because I clearly look every bit of my almost 50 years. And this brings me to another shitty truth, that women over 40 are invisible. I've whined about this one before so I am going to keep it brief, but once a woman gets to a certain vintage, they become about as appealing as a petrol station hot dog. Sure other women will listen to their wisdom, but men couldn't give a fuck about them and it doesn't even matter if they are fit or well put together, men just aren't that interested in women over 40, it's a proven fact. But being invisible in one thing, when you get to 50, you start to become irrelevant as well and men will literally walk into you on the street like you weren't even there! There are only two ways to gain back the attentions of men (should you want that) as you get older. The first is surgery, you need to get surgery so that you look 20 years younger or you can become a bag lady like the crazy cat lady on The Simpsons and gain attention by being the scary, weird, witch woman of the town that men will definitely notice so that they can avoid completely. Neither of these options appeal to me, so invisible and irrelevant it is then!
And the final truth that kills, and cannot be avoided is that in your life you are going to have to deal with break ups. Breaking up, whether from a relationship, friendship or kinship hurts like a motherfucker! The old adage that breaking up is hard to do is so very, painfully true. There is no way to avoid it, we all go through different break ups. Sometimes it is a death, sometimes it is divorce or separation and sometimes it is abandonment or estrangement, none of it is easy. You have to go through all of the stages of separation one way or another, and it is hard and it takes time and it feels like you're never going to get better when you are in it.
We've all been there and we have all seen the struggle in others, and it is hard and horrible. Breaking up is, for me, the hardest truth of them all. I think that is because I love very deeply and give a great deal of myself to all of my relationships, so breaking up in any form is really difficult for me and takes me a lot of time and also therapy to recover from.  I also really hate to watch others go through it almost as much as I hate to experience it myself, and because the process of actually letting go it is so unique for everyone, it is also challenging to predict how people will cope and how much to intervene or advise. Breaking up is hard to do and that is a shitty and horrible truth.
You know what, sometimes the truth does not set you free at all! Sometimes the truth fucking sucks, and that is one truth that I can get behind!

THE DRY 
Release Date: 2020
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 117 mins
An Australian drama mystery based on the novel of the same name by Jane Harper and a sweet return to great Australian cinema for me. It's been a while since I have seen such an excellent depiction of the harsh, dry Aussie landscape and The Dry manages to captures it; and the attitudes of small rural communities in Victoria with a plausible authenticity. 
Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his home town under the request of his childhood friend's parents. They are seeking Falk's help in the investigation around their son's death and the strange and unsettling circumstances that surround it. Falk reluctantly tries to solve the mystery of the heinous crime but finds himself dragged back into another local drama that forced him to flee the town many years ago. 
Eric Bana is brilliant as Falk and it was so good to see him back on screen again after such a long hiatus. He is well supported by Genevieve O'Reilly, John Polson and Miranda Tapsell but it cannot be denied that The Dry  is definitely held up by Bana's performance. 
Amidst the complexities of the crimes being unveiled throughout the film are some really solid messages about small town loyalties and the need for secrecy and acceptance in tight knit rural communities. The struggles of the farmers and labourers are also touched upon and the unforgiving and dangerous Aussie landscape provides a perfectly formidable backdrop to all of the drama.
FINAL SAY: The biggest secrets can never stay hidden. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

I am still battling on with my weight goals, and I am finding that my weight continues to yo-yo back and forth between a few kilos from week to week, and I have not really made much more progress than my initial loss of 2 kilos. This slow progress is really nobodies fault but my own as I swing between fully committed and being tepidly involved. I find that as soon as I try to be too restrictive I just want food all the more, this may have a lot to do with my resistance to authority and hard rules, but whatever the reason, the weight is not coming off me as fast as I would like it to. 
I initially made a commitment to get back to my healthy weight range in early March and three months later I have only lost 2 kilos. Don't get me wrong, two kilos is better than no kilos, but its a lot slower than I had envisioned and if I had the moxie to fully commit, I would've already reached my goal by now. However, I cannot deny that I have no-one to blame but myself for still having the best part of 8 kilos to shed before December; I have only given this a half-hearted go, and at times I have been downright flippant and self indulgent. It is super easy to snack outside of meal times, have a little dessert or treat in the evening or drink my body in weight in cocktails and whiskey on a night out, none of which will shed kilos or boost metabolism. And things have to change. 
So, with just over six months to go, I have to stop the bullshit, get serious and really commit if I want to see any sort of result this year. It's only 8 kilos for fuck sake, how hard can it be? LOL! Talk about famous last words, everyone knows that the last 10 kilos of weight loss are the hardest to achieve, so I am being realistic about the fact that this last leg of the race with my wellbeing is probably going to require the most fortitude and effort. Everyone knows its always darkest before the dawn, and clearly my wayward and tepid efforts have only gotten me 2 kilos of movement in 3 months, so if I want to get to my goal by Christmas, well I need to double down on the effort now. No more shitty eating and drinking for me, time to get serious and cut the portions. 
Never fear, I still won't be resorting to cuckoo methods or diabolical extremes, just being more consistent and mindful about food and the way that I deal with it. Consistency is what I need, not the fits and spurts that I have given over so far. Time to roll up the sleeves, dig down and get it sorted and the first thing I am doing is distracting myself from food by setting myself a 31 day poetry challenge. Poetry? What the hell, how's that going to help? I hear you cry; yes poetry, that's what I said - POETRY!
I don't need more activity, because I do yoga and walk 10,000 steps a day, that's enough movement. I don't need more zen because I meditate and write in my journal every day. I don't need more hobbies because I blog, watch movies and TV, read, take French lessons, garden, road trip, brain train, cook and entertain friends in my free time; so I don't have a lot more space for anything big to fit into my routine. However, I have always loved to write poetry and have been doing it on and off since I was about 7 years old.  I have loads of old poetry journals and even have a collection of drunk poetry that I only write when I am shitfaced, and they are so funny and ridiculous! 
Anyway, I am taking on a poetry challenge, where I have to write a piece of poetry everyday for a month about a chosen topic. Instead of reaching for a snack, I will be reaching for a pen. And I don't have to decide what to write about, I just have to write it, in any way that I want, as long or as short as I feel. The topics are outlined below:

1. Happy Things
2. Regret
3. A memory
4. Home
5. Joy
6. Space
7. From me to you
8. Goals
9. A letter
10. Growth
11. Precious
12. For myself
13. A quote
14. Colours
15. Time
16. Words
17. A scent
18. Goner
19. Fake
20. A Season
21. Secrets
22. Anger
23. Eternity
24. Laughter
25. Addiction
26. Reality
27. Lover
28. Release 
29. A Lie
30. Hope
31. Favourite 

Let's see what diving back in to poetry can do for my mood and my waistline! Will the power of the word be enough to distract me from mindless eating? Let's see what happens, it certainly can't hurt that's for sure. 

FRIDA
Release Date: 2002
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 125 mins 
A biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of surreal Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Through intimate storytelling and visually striking events we are given a candid view of Frida's larger then life persona and passion for the arts.
At only 18 years of age Frida Kahlo suffered a traumatic injury that would plague her for the rest of her life, however it did not stop the talented and vivacious woman from living her best life and creating magnificent works of art. 
Salma Hayek is a vision as Frida Kahlo, a role that saw her nominated for an Academy Award and to date this is still my favourite role that I have ever seen Hayek portray. Alfred Molina is also excellent as Frida's life partner Diego Rivera and the cast is well supported by cinema heavyweights like Geoffrey Rush as Trotsky and Antonio Banderas as Siquerios.   
From the colourful interludes, the brilliant soundtrack and the genuinely interesting storyline, Frida is a movie about art that is actually a work of art itself!
FINAL SAY: I had two big accidents in my life Diego, the trolley and you. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

So it is exactly one month since I blogged about re-committing to my wellness and starting my weight loss journey once again and I did say that I was going to be totally transparent about that journey and update my progress every month; so here I am, baring myself to the world again and being 100% transparent about how the journey is going. 
At this stage, I would say that I have experienced the highs and lows of any new journey. I have had good days and bad days. I have lost two kilos on the scales, which is not a lot but it is consistent progress that equates to half a kilo a week. I have not been strict or restrictive with myself because if I make the journey too hard I know that I will quit, slip or give up. If I get hungry I eat, I am not starving myself or being ridiculous. I am not trying to get thin, I am trying to get back to a healthy BMI because I want longevity and best health for life. 
You may have noticed that after I posted about my re-commitment to wellness, I posted about the Stages of Healing, about the process of change and the stages that we have to go through to make real life changes. I wrote about that because I have been going though those stages since I re-committed. I have had a pretty deep dive into why I feel the need to be a certain size and weight and why I cannot accept myself as I am. I mean, it's not like a few extra kilos has made me sick or incapable, on the contrary, I am healthy as a horse, rarely ever getting ill and I have an abundance of energy and a great mindset. I have also been investigating what has led me to fail time and time again to keep the weight off that I have lost so many times before, am I on a cycle of self sabotage and if so, why? 
And I have come to understand that it is not my fault that staying lean is hard for me, I honestly don't think that I meant to be lean. This is why I am not looking for lean, or skinny or thin, because I also know without a shadow of doubt that being lighter or thinner will not make me better, happier or more complete. In the end all that it will do is drop me into the healthy BMI range, which is literally only around a stone of weight difference, so why all the fuss? Do people like me less for being heavier? Does my husband love me less? Do I have less opportunities? No, no and no to all of these. 
However, I did like feeling lighter and knowing that I was in my healthy weight range. I did like that my clothes felt better on me and things on my body looked tighter when I looked in the mirror.  I did enjoy being able to wear more flattering outfits. However, in saying all of this, I know that it sounds and seems so stupid and shallow. I never care about other people's body shapes and genuinely believe that all bodies are good bodies. I know full well that no-one is just the size on their dress label or the number on their scales, so why does it bother me so much about myself? Why am I so obsessed with my own physical inadequacies at the moment? 
You see what I mean? I am deep in the Stages of Healing with all of this. I know that for longevity, I must stay within a heathy BMI range, that is a fact. On the other hand, I also know that a healthy BMI range doesn't necessarily constitute a 'be all end all' when it comes to the 'wellness' scale. It is literally just a number on a scale and doesn't really tell a person anything more about their wellness than their weight; it doesn't consider mental wellness, relationship happiness or general lust for life does it? And I have those things in buckets, and yet here I am writing about eight kilos of weight like it is going to change me profoundly. Which I know it won't because I got down there less than 3 years ago and it didn't make me better than I am now. 
However, I have worked my arse off on improving myself. I have put in countless hours to get my mental, emotional, relationship, spiritual and intellectual health in good order. I have done the Stages of Healing on myself over and over and over. I have shed my skin, bared my soul and completely re-invented my life from the steaming shit pile that it once was and I have worked so hard to get to where I am now. And I honestly feel like getting back into my healthy weight range will be the last rung on a ladder of self improvement that I have been climbing for almost a decade now. Every other time that I have lost the weight and then it put it back on again was because I lacked some other important aspect of the self, some vital piece of the puzzle that needed to be put into place first. Well not this time, this time I am ready. 
As I said previously, this time I am not looking for quick fixes or diets or fad fixers. I am looking for a lifestyle change that will mean that I don't need to keep trying to get to my healthy BMI, I will get there and I will stay there this time.  Slowly and surely and trusting the process along the way, I will get there. I have officially moved out of denial and shock and I now have recognition, I recognise what needs to be done and I know that I have the fortitude to do it. So yeah, that's where I am on the journey. I am in recognition mode, soon to be acceptance I believe. I'm on the road again, I'm working to improve myself again, I'm putting one foot in front of the other and I will get there. 
I'm smoothing out my triangle of sadness....don't know what that means? Well, check out the movie and see for yourself. 

Spent the Labour Day public holiday swanning about the house all day watching the 95th Academy Awards Ceremony. It was a beautiful sunny day, but there was no outside frolicking for me in the morning. Instead, like the movie obsessed beast that I am, I sat through the entire 4.5 hour Oscars ceremony, sacrificing what may be one of the sunniest mornings of Autumn so far. Please don't judge me too harshly though because I did get out for a long walk in the afternoon!
Host Jimmy Kimmel delivered well, speckling the ceremony with humour and interest, and he couldn't resist the opportunity to take a poke at Will Smith for his ridiculous and violent outburst at last years Oscars event. This year was far more subdued and civilised and no-one walked away with a slapped face or offended feelings. It was definitely a huge sweep for Everything, Everywhere All at Once with 7 wins and All Quite On the Western Front with  5 wins; both of which were my top two movies choices for 2022, so I wasn't surprised. I did think that The Banshees of Inisherin would've got a few nods, because I adored it so, but overall, there was no doubt that the winners were deserving. 
Some highlights for me were Jamie Lee Curtis' acceptance speech for best supporting actress in Everything, Everywhere All at Once. She has been making films for 40 years and it was great to see her get some serious recognition. I also loved seeing composer MM Keeravani sing his acceptance speech for winning Best Original Song for RRR's 'Naatu Naatu' and I was genuinely touched by John Travolta's emotional presentation of the Memoriam, where he had to push back his remorse about the loss of his good friend Olivia Newton John last year. 

And just like that, it's all over and done for another 12 months, so now I'll need to keep my eye for the next big thing on the horizon. Back to the cinema again for me!
And just in case you missed it all...you know I got you covered! Here are the nominees with the winners for each category highlighted and underlined. 

Best Picture
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Malte Grunert, Producer
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers
“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers
“The Fabelmans,” Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers
“Tár,” Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
“Triangle of Sadness,” Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers
“Women Talking,” Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers

Best Director
Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 
Todd Field (“Tár”) 
Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Best Lead Actor
Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 
Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 
Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 
Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

Best Lead Actress
Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 
Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 
Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)
Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Supporting Actor
Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 
Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 
Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Adapted Screenplay
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Written by Rian Johnson
“Living,” Written by Kazuo Ishiguro
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks
“Women Talking,” Screenplay by Sarah Polley

Best Original Screenplay
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Written by Martin McDonagh
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
“The Fabelmans,” Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
“Tár,” Written by Todd Field
“Triangle of Sadness,” Written by Ruben Östlund

Best Cinematography
“All Quiet on the Western Front”, James Friend
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” Darius Khondji
“Elvis,” Mandy Walker
“Empire of Light,” Roger Deakins
“Tár,” Florian Hoffmeister

Best Documentary Feature Film 
“All That Breathes,” Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
“Fire of Love,” Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
“A House Made of Splinters,” Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
“Navalny,” Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

Best Documentary Short Film 
“The Elephant Whisperers,” Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
“Haulout,” Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
“How Do You Measure a Year?” Jay Rosenblatt
“The Martha Mitchell Effect,” Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
“Stranger at the Gate,” Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Best Film Editing
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
“Elvis,” Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Paul Rogers
“Tár,” Monika Willi
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Eddie Hamilton

Best International Feature Film 
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 
“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) 
“Close” (Belgium)
“EO” (Poland) 
“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland) 

Best Original Song 
“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose  
“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne 

Best Production Design 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole
“Babylon,” Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
“Elvis,” Production Design: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn
“The Fabelmans,” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

Best Visual Effects
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
“The Batman,” Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Best Animated Feature Film 
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley 
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
“The Sea Beast,” Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
“Turning Red,” Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Best Animated Short Film
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
“The Flying Sailor,” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
“Ice Merchants,” João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
“My Year of Dicks,” Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It,” Lachlan Pendragon

​Best Costume Design 
“Babylon,” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Ruth Carter
“Elvis,” Catherine Martin
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Shirley Kurata
“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” Jenny Beavan

Best Live Action Short
“An Irish Goodbye,” Tom Berkeley and Ross White
“Ivalu,” Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
“Le Pupille,” Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón
“Night Ride,” Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
“The Red Suitcase,” Cyrus Neshvad

Best Makeup and Hairstyling 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
“The Batman,” Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
“Elvis,” Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti
“The Whale,” Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

Best Original Score 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Volker Bertelmann
“Babylon,” Justin Hurwitz
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Carter Burwell
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Son Lux
“The Fabelmans,” John Williams

​Best Sound
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
“The Batman,” Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
“Elvis,” David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

And here's a little hidden gem that was nominated for Best Animation at the Oscars this year, but couldn't stand up against Guillermo del Toro's juggernaut film: Pinocchio. Darling Marcel the Shell with Shoes On may not have garnered a lot of attention, but I do recommend a look should you get the chance. 

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Release Date: 2022 
Rating: PG
Running Time: 89 mins
A stop motion animation based on the shorts of the same name by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer Camp, who both take up the title roles in this movie length adaptation. Poignant, profound and utterly heart-warming, this movie has tonnes of spirit and will leave you with delightfully warm, fuzzy feeling afterwards. 
An adorable shell named Marcel becomes the main character in an online documentary series by recently separated Dean. Marcel discusses everything about life amongst the clutter at an Airbnb; explaining the highs and lows of life for himself, his beloved Nana Connie and their pet lint ball, providing both insightful contemplations  and inspiring resilience along the way. 
This darling little film is definitely not just for children, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On provides many laughs and life lessons along the way for adults as well. Marcel is beautifully voiced by Jenny Slate and her Nana by Isabella Rossellini and although he may be small, Marcel is probably going to leave a big impression on you. 
FINAL SAY: I couldn't tell you, but the space in my heart gets bigger and louder everyday. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

About five years ago I lost around 10 kilos and I felt amazing. Over the last 3 years, I have let that weight creep back on to my waistline, my thighs, my stomach and my bottom. I weigh around the same amount that I did when I told myself that I had to do something about my size five years ago. And it is so frustrating when you yo-yo diet and your weight goes up and down, especially when you are a very healthy eater and you are active. It's super annoying!
I 'hand on heart' honestly do 10,000 steps as a minimum every day, I also do yoga daily and I try to do a couple of HIIT or cardio workouts a week as well. I am pretty active and I am strong, there is no denying that. But since my hysterectomy and my onset menopause, I have started to put weight on and part of that is hormonal and part of that is the portions of food that I eat.
You see, I LOVE FOOD! Always have and always will. I love to shop for it, prepare it, cook it and eat it. I enjoy everything that goes with food. The foraging, purchasing and harvesting, the ritual of creating in the kitchen and eating at the table and the intense sensory experiences that come with a well made meal. I adore all of the smells and textures, the tastes and the flavours, I love it all!
This love of all things food related has led me to probably eat far more than I should be eating for my size, because I am actually only 5 foot 5inches, but I can easily eat a bear man sized meal for dinner if I am hungry.  I also cannot control myself when it comes to bread and butter (lord my thighs) incredible cakes and desserts (god my flabby tummy) and pretty much anything Italian or Thai (Mamma Mia my arse)! I also really like wine and whiskey and well, just really delicious cocktails and drinks that have far too many calories. 
Anyway, this has led to me looking more Flabbitha Cristie than Agatha Cristie and I made a promise to myself that I was going to get down to a respectful and healthy weight range on the scales this year and say goodbye to the yo-yo dieting for good.  But as we all know, fridge pickers wear big knickers, so no more cheeky ice-creams, slices of cake or packets of chips for me for a while.  I now have my work cut for me once again and some dirty habits to cull if I am going to make this happen.  And you know what? I did it before and I think that with a few simple changes I can actually fix things again pretty quickly.
So, I have set myself a goal of getting back to a healthy BMI rating this year. At the moment I fall into the overweight category (not by a lot but any amount in the overweight category is never good) and it is certainly not good for my heart or prospects of longevity. To be clear, I am not looking for thin, skinny or lean, I am an almost 50 year old, post hysterectomy, menopausal, middle-aged woman, I don't need thin, I need wellness. I am looking for a healthy and sustainable weight that I can maintain without having to forgo all of the consumable joys that make life just a bit juicier and a lot more delicious. 
Now because my activity levels are pretty high already, it is my diet that I have to address. And this basically all comes down to portion size. I just eat too much and my servings are too large. I also know that I eat too many carbs and need to get more fill from veggies. And I have to find something else to do between 3 and 5 pm because that is the time that I am most prone to inhaling something grossly carb heavy and generally bad for me. 
Trust me, I know how to make this work, I really do already know the drill and I know how it goes! I have lost and gained weight all of my life. I even gained 5 kilos after each of my pregnancies but that still didn't put me into the overweight BMI category that I now find myself in. And I really don't want the scale to be the goal this time, I want the lifestyle habits to be the goal. I want to learn how to manage my eating forever, not just until I see a certain number on the scale.
So I already know that going hard and fast is a method, but it never sticks.  All or nothing works well too, but it is gruelling and horrible and hard to sustain. And just getting to a goal number works, but I have never been able to maintain that number. So, it is a whole lifestyle choice overhaul this time, and it needs to be a permanent choice, not just a 'until I get there' choice, which is what I have done every other time. 
This time I am doing things differently, I am going to reach a healthy BMI by changing the way that I look at food and managing my caloric intake - PERMANENTLY! First thing that I need to do is get a lot better at healthy menu planning and meal/snack prepping. I do menu plan but I don't always go for the healthiest recipes and until I can manage my cravings, I probably should avoid putting too many high calorie options on the menu. That's going to be my starting point and I will keep myself accountable by blogging about my progress once a month as well. Great - got a solid plan, I'm off to the drawing board and the fruit bowl!

THE MENU
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M 15+
Running Time: 107 mins 
A black-comedy drama directed by Mark Mylod and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy that will have you inspired by the epicurean delights and horrified by the monstrous behaviours. 
A group of wealthy guests that includes acclaimed food critics, movie stars and successful business tycoons and professionals ascend on a remote private island to be immersed in an exclusive culinary experience delivered by world renown celebrity chef Julian Slowik. A series of decadent and painstakingly created course are delivered with a monologue and introductions from Julian himself, but as the night slowly progresses so does the extreme delivery of the menu. 
Actors Hong Chau, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult and John Leguizamo are all terrific, but it is Ralph Fiennes who shines the brightest here, delivering all of chef Julian Slowik's intensity and insanity with a flawless ease and compelling conviction.
Deliciously evil and delightfully entertaining, The Menu delivers a hard hitting social commentary about wealth, privilege and exploitation. It is over the top bonkers at times, and utterly implausible, but it is a highly entertaining satire worthy of your time.  
FINAL SAY: You will eat less than you desire and more than you deserve. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Yep, yep, it's happening again, another awards ceremony and another excuse for me to get to the movies a lot more over the next few weeks. You all know that I love this stuff, but I also love to see what the nominations are because it basically maps out my viewing for the month ahead and gives me a very strong indication of the films that I cannot miss. 
There are so many films nominated for Best Picture this year and it's a total mixed bag of genres. So far, I have seen five of them, so I am half way through.  If you haven't even started to view yet, don't worry there is still plenty of time. The Academy Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel this time around and will air on Monday, March 13th, which also just happens to be a public holiday in Victoria, Australia so I will get to enjoy them in real time this year- nice!
And if you haven't seen the final nominations list, you know I got your back! Please see the 95th Academy Award nominations below:
​
Best Picture
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Malte Grunert, Producer
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers
“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers
“The Fabelmans,” Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers
“Tár,” Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
“Triangle of Sadness,” Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers
“Women Talking,” Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers

Best Director
Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 
Todd Field (“Tár”) 
Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Best Lead Actor
Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 
Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 
Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 
Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

Best Lead Actress
Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 
Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 
Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)
Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Supporting Actor
Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 
Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 
Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Adapted Screenplay
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Written by Rian Johnson
“Living,” Written by Kazuo Ishiguro
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks
“Women Talking,” Screenplay by Sarah Polley

Best Original Screenplay
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Written by Martin McDonagh
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
“The Fabelmans,” Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
“Tár,” Written by Todd Field
“Triangle of Sadness,” Written by Ruben Östlund

Best Cinematography
“All Quiet on the Western Front”, James Friend
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” Darius Khondji
“Elvis,” Mandy Walker
“Empire of Light,” Roger Deakins
“Tár,” Florian Hoffmeister

Best Documentary Feature Film 
“All That Breathes,” Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
“Fire of Love,” Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
“A House Made of Splinters,” Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
“Navalny,” Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

Best Documentary Short Film 
“The Elephant Whisperers,” Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
“Haulout,” Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
“How Do You Measure a Year?” Jay Rosenblatt
“The Martha Mitchell Effect,” Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
“Stranger at the Gate,” Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Best Film Editing
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
“Elvis,” Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Paul Rogers
“Tár,” Monika Willi
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Eddie Hamilton

Best International Feature Film 
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 
“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) 
“Close” (Belgium)
“EO” (Poland) 
“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland) 

Best Original Song 
“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose  
“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne 

Best Production Design 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole
“Babylon,” Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
“Elvis,” Production Design: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn
“The Fabelmans,” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

Best Visual Effects
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
“The Batman,” Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Best Animated Feature Film 
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
“The Sea Beast,” Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
“Turning Red,” Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Best Animated Short Film
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
“The Flying Sailor,” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
“Ice Merchants,” João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
“My Year of Dicks,” Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It,” Lachlan Pendragon

​Best Costume Design 
“Babylon,” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Ruth Carter
“Elvis,” Catherine Martin
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Shirley Kurata
“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” Jenny Beavan

Best Live Action Short
“An Irish Goodbye,” Tom Berkeley and Ross White
“Ivalu,” Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
“Le Pupille,” Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón
“Night Ride,” Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
“The Red Suitcase,” Cyrus Neshvad

Best Makeup and Hairstyling 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
“The Batman,” Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
“Elvis,” Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti
“The Whale,” Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

Best Original Score 
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Volker Bertelmann
“Babylon,” Justin Hurwitz
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Carter Burwell
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Son Lux
“The Fabelmans,” John Williams

​Best Sound
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
“The Batman,” Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
“Elvis,” David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
“Top Gun: Maverick,” Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Release Date: 2023 
Rating: M
Running Time: 109 mins 
Director Martin McDonagh delivers a despairing and melancholic depiction of life in Ireland in the 1920's. Speckled with humour and blessed with a deeply compelling storyline, The Banshees of Inisherin is both original and unforgettable in equal measures. 
On a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, lifelong friends Padric and Colm find themselves at an impasse when Colm decides that he inexplicably no longer wishes to be Padric's friend. The small town of Inisherin become involved in the dramatics of the men's failing friendship. 
At times I found this film is so desperately sad and then in the next moment, I was laughing out loud. It's a film that has it all and it is all held together brilliantly by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. McDonagh first brought the two actors together in 2008 for In Bruge, and their onscreen chemistry is no less dynamic here fifteen years later. Barry Keoghan manages to steal the show regularly with his portrayal of the trouble island lad Dominic and Kerry Condon shines as Padric's sister Siobhan. 
Filled with extreme behaviours, gorgeous Irish landscapes, strange characters and unsettling interludes, it's an entertaining watch that deserves every one of it's nine Oscar nominations. 
FINAL SAY: I'm not putting me donkey outside when I'm sad, okay?
4 Chilli Peppers ​

The last week has moved at a dizzying pace, I have been cramming so much into my days and attempting to make the most of the final days of the summer break. Things kicked off last Saturday evening with Seth's 18th birthday party. This was a backyard BBQ affair that involved around 25 teenagers in various states of drunkenness. It has been a long time since I have attended a young adult/teenage party and I am quite happy to not have to attend another any time soon. 
Clearly, very few of Seth's friends has much (if any) ability around gauging how much to drink (not surprising at all - who does at that age?). Anyway, this did lead to some people drinking more than their little bodies and brains could handle and it did cause some people to turn the stupid up to high. A couple of them decided to wipe themselves entirely and after emptying the contents of their bellies around the back yard, they proceeded to pass out and need to be either sent home or put to bed. Another hand full of them thought that running about in the bush would be fun at 1am and a couple decided the lure of the warm road was too much to resist and laid their bodies in the middle of the road, across the still warm bitumen to stare up at the stars. Needless to say, I had to put the kibosh of both of these ding-a-ling activities promptly in the name of health of safety. 
Aside from that, everything was pretty stock standard. No fighting, nothing broken and no-one seriously hurt - winning! Seth had a terrific time and drank for more than 12 hours straight which is both impressive and revolting all at once. He literally looked like a cave man the next day! Anyway, they all went to bed around 4.30am and everyone was gone form Enfield by midday the next day. Ahh...peace restored! 
This weekend was a different story entirely. Zoe and Ben joined us and we headed out to Clunes in the evening to do another paranormal investigation. This time it was The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles. A creepy old building that was once a state school and an Interknit mill before Lee Medlyn purchased it and turned it into a museum for over 6000 old and historical bottles and other related objects. Was it weird? Yeah, of course, this place would be weird at midday. Was it haunted? Well, it was active but I kind of got the feeling that some of the old items themselves in the museum may have been more haunted than anything else.
It was a total hodgepodge of activity, and in spite of claims that were child ghosts, a lady and Lee Medlyn himself who died on the premise and haunted the space, most of the contact that we received was from guy named Jeff who seemed to be sweet on the young ladies - gross! And out in a back space, which was chock full of junk, I think that there is a haunted item with some kind of attachment to it. It was easily the dankest spot on the premises, with local volunteers refusing to go in there, in fact one of them told me to get out of the space because I was causing too much activity! Ah, that's what we are there for lady!
Anyway, I would've liked more time in there even though I was getting some disturbing messages. I did get a very odd photo with what appears to be a ghost in the frame, but I can't be 100% sure. It is a transparent person, that much is true, but it oddly looks a bit like our paranormal host and I am not sure what the hell that could mean and it also makes me wonder too much for me to be 100% sure; nonetheless, it's compelling evidence. Ghost captured or not, it was still a great night and another interesting visit. 
Before Zoe and Ben went back to Bendigo today, we celebrated Chinese New Year and had a massive five course lunch. It all kicked off with dumpling soup followed by spring rolls, marinated chicken wings, green tea and a Chinese salad. For mains we had Chicken and Cashew Stir fry and Beef with Black Bean Sauce and steamed rice, and to drink we had Chinese grape flavoured sodas. Dessert was a Chinese pudding with jelly and mango and to end it all we had Panda biscuits and Chinese fortune cookies. I spent a couple of hours prepping yesterday and another couple cooking it all today, it was massive effort and always leaves everyone very full for the rest of the day, but it is a delightful way to start the year and share a meal at home. 
And so, with only four more days of holidays I am focusing on enjoying the final moments and getting a couple more things done before the return. Aside from getting covid early on, it has been a wonderful and restful holiday and also a productive one. I think that I almost ready to go back....almost. 

BOILING POINT 
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 92 mins 
An intense and heart pounding British drama, directed by actor turned director - Philip Barantini. This expanded version of the 2019 short film of the same name is performed in a one shot film set and moves at a head spinning pace and impressively manages to convey a plethora of disturbing information about the main characters in just over 90 minutes.
Andy is the Head Chef at Jones & Sons, an upmarket and busy restaurant in London. Andy's night ahead looks hectic with the restaurant double booked, the Health and Safety inspector on the premises and a celebrity chef booked in for dinner. Things just go from bad to worse as Andy attempts to manage the chaos of the restaurant against his own crumbling personal life. 
The tension is palpable in Boiling Point, you literally feel assaulted by this movie because there is so much happening. The cast are tremendous with Stephen Graham shining brightly as Head Chef Andy Jones and he strongly supported by Vinette Robinson, Jason Fleming and Ray Panthaki to name but a few. 
The entire movie plays out in the most immersive and convincing ways so expect to be roped in to the tightly wound environment of a kitchen under fire; like all good car crashes, it's hard to look away. 
FINAL SAY: I do not get paid enough to deal with this shit. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

The Golden Globe Award Ceremony was thankfully rebooted and reignited this year after all of the controversy of 2022. With a new feel and more inclusive approach, I think that the Globes managed to dig themselves out of a hole this year and revamp themselves into a more respectable and inclusive awards ceremony. 
Some of my favourite highlights were the many stirring and emotional acceptance speeches that addressed some of the hardships that minority actors have faced in the past in regards to awards and recognition. Michelle Yeoh touched on ageism and racism, Ke Huy Kwan emotionally recounted his feelings of missed opportunities and struggle, and host Jerrod Carmichael didn't have any trouble saying this with a  straight face:
“I’ll tell you why I’m here,” Carmichael said while greeting viewers. “I’m here because I’m Black.” 
“I won’t say they [are] a racist organization,” he added. “But they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died, so do with that information what you will.” 
And honestly, it is only by saying what needs to be said that we can understand, heal and change, so these types of things do need to be addressed, and if that does make some people feel uncomfortable, well too bad!
On a lighter note, Eddie Murphy told everyone his three important things to always do in order to be successful - “Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your fucking mouth," which was very funny, and Jennifer Coolidge told everyone how nervous she was presenting because she always "fucks thing up" and was more concerned about falling over on stage then anything else. 
As always, I loved it, watched it from start to end and now have a swag of films to catch up on! And just in case you missed it, here are the nominees and winners:

Best Picture, Drama
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) 
“Elvis” (Warner Bros.) 
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
“Tár” (Focus Features) 
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) 
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) 
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix) 
“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon) 

Best Director, Motion Picture
James Cameron (“Avatar: The Way of Water”) 
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Baz Luhrmann (“Elvis”) 
Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) (WINNER)

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
“Tár” (Focus Features) — Todd Field 
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert 
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Martin McDonagh (WINNER)
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Sarah Polley 
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Austin Butler (“Elvis”) (WINNER)
Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 
Hugh Jackman (“The Son”)
Bill Nighy (“Living”) 
Jeremy Pope (“The Inspection”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) (WINNER)
Olivia Colman (“Empire of Light”) 
Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) 
Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 
Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Lesley Manville (“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”) 
Margot Robbie (“Babylon”) 
Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Menu”) 
Emma Thompson (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”) 
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Diego Calva (“Babylon”) 
Daniel Craig (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”)
Adam Driver (“White Noise”) 
Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) (WINNER)
Ralph Fiennes (“The Menu”)

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Brad Pitt (“Babylon”)
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) WINNER
Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”)

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) WINNER
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
Dolly De Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”)
Carey Mulligan (“She Said”)

Best Television Series, Drama
“Better Call Saul” (AMC) 
“The Crown” (Netflix) 
“House of the Dragon” (HBO) (WINNER)
“Ozark” (Netflix) 
“Severance” (Apple TV+)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC) (WINNER)
“The Bear” (FX)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) 
“Wednesday” (Netflix) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”) 
Kevin Costner (“Yellowstone”) (WINNER)
Diego Luna (“Andor”)
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Adam Scott (“Severance”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”)
Laura Linney (“Ozark”) 
Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”)
Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”)
Zendaya (“Euphoria”) (WINNER)

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) (WINNER)
Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”) 
Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) 
Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) 
Jean Smart (“Hacks”)

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) 
Bill Hader (“Barry”) 
Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”) 
Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) 
Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Television
John Lithgow (“The Old Man”) 
Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”) 
John Turturro (“Severance”) 
Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”) WINNER
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

Best Supporting Actress, Television
Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) 
Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”) 
Julia Garner (“Ozark”) (WINNER)
Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”) 
Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) 

Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
“Black Bird” (Apple TV+) 
“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix) 
“The Dropout” (Hulu) 
“Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) 
“The White Lotus” (HBO) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”) 
Colin Firth (“The Staircase”) 
Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 
Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) (WINNER)
Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”) 
Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”) 
Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) 
Julia Roberts (“Gaslit”) 
Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”) (WINNER)
Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) 
Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 
Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 
Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”) 

Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
​F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”) 
Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”) 
Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”) (WINNER)
Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 
Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Carter Burwell
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat 
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Hildur Guðnadóttir 
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) — Justin Hurwitz (WINNER)
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — John Williams  

Best Picture, Non-English Language
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 
“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) (WINNER)
“Close” (Belgium) 
“Decision to Leave” (South Korea) 
“RRR” (India)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing” (Sony Pictures) — Taylor Swift 
“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro 
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures) — Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios) — Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler 
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” (Variance Films) — Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj (WINNER)

Best Motion Picture, Animated
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) (WINNER)
“Inu-Oh” (GKIDS) 
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” (A24) 
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (DreamWorks Animation) 
“Turning Red” (Pixar)

GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO
Release Date: 2022 
Rating: M
Running Time: 117 mins 
A stop motion, musical and dark fantasy film from director Guillermo del Toro that is loosely based on the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and strongly influenced by Gris Grimly's illustrations for a 2022 edition of the book. Guillermo del Toro called this film his 'passion project' stating that "No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio."  And after 15 years in the making, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is astoundingly great in every respect; a film not just for children but very much for adults as well. 
Set in fascist Italy during the interwar period and World War II, a carpenter named Geppetto tragically loses his son Carlo after an air-raid on their small village. Grieving, the drunken father chops down a pine tree that is home to a cricket named Sebastian J. Cricket, who becomes the narrator of the tale. In a drunken stupor Geppetto creates a rough wooden boy-like puppet from the felled pine tree and after some magic from a Wood Sprite, the puppet springs to life. And so the tale of Pinocchio begins, a puppet who has to learn about loyalty, expectation and love in a mostly cold and judgemental world. 
The voice casting is simply perfect with Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz all shining here. However, it is the puppets themselves that steal the show here because the stop motion animation and meticulous attention to detail with the puppets and sets is nothing short of incredible. The detail is just mind blowing and the storyline itself is darling in every way possible. 
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is unlike anything that I have ever seen before in respect to craftsmanship and detail; this film is an unmissable treat both for the eyes and the heart, and it is easily my favourite movie of 2022. 
FINAL SAY: You did bring me joy. Terrible, terrible joy. 
5 Chilli Peppers ​

Just like 2021, the home viewing opportunities in 2022 grew so fast that I found myself juggling all of my streaming services, and I always seemed to have an over-abundance of new release material to trawl through. There was a head spinning amount to absorb this year, and I was also very grateful to be constantly receiving high quality recommendations from friends and family throughout the year as well.  We were again, all very spoilt for choice, and if you couldn't find something to watch in 2022 then you just weren't trying hard enough!
I managed to get through 205 movies and 158 television series this year. I also re-watched the entire Game of Thrones series, which was just as good, perhaps even better, the second time around. Basically, I was flat out watching something every day of the year and I still didn't get to half of the material that is on my 'to see' lists, but I did have a bloody good go at it!
The task of seeing everything has become arduous beyond anyone's means, and unless you are willing to permanently strap yourself to the couch and do nothing but watch movies and TV, there is just no way that you can manage to see it all. And so you must be discerning, and hopefully this is where I can offer a hand and some sound advice around what you should be investing in your time in; if you haven't done so already. 
Again, I was thrilled to be able to view great movies and TV across all genres, for which I am always grateful. In particular I really appreciated seeing so many excellent horror, thriller and fantasy offerings this year; most of which boasted stunningly good visuals and terrifically original storylines. I think that audiences are becoming more acclimated to a few scares and chills these days, and the demand for quality horror does thankfully seem to be on the rise. 
And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2022. 
BEST MOVIES (2022 release):
Everything Everywhere All At Once - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers
All Quiet on the Western Front - War/ Action 4 Chilli Peppers
The Sea Beast - Kids 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Barbarian - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Nope - Sci- Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Blonde - Gritty 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
ELVIS - Musical/ drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
The Batman - Action/ Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Action/ Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Northman- Action  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Thor: Love and Thunder - Action/ Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Fresh - Thriller   3.5 Chilli Peppers
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Crime  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Smile - Horror  3.5 Chilli Peppers

2022 HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
Hustle - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Terrifier 2- Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
Hellbender-  Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 
I Want You Back - Romance/comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Clerks 3 - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2022 releases that I didn't get around to seeing until 2022:
C'mon C'mon - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Licorice Pizza - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Nightmare Alley - Horror  4 Chilli Peppers
Spiderman: No Way Home - Action/ Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
West Side Story - Musical 4 Chilli Peppers 
Flee - International 4 Chilli Peppers
Annette - Art House/ Musical 4 Chilli Peppers 
Nitram - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Raid: Redemption - Action 4 Chilli Peppers 
Titane - Art House 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Love Witch - Art House 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Dolemite is My Name - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Antrum - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Ron's Gone Wrong - Kids 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Ghost Busters: Afterlife  - Horror  3 Chilli Peppers
Silent Night - Sci-Fi 3 Chilli Peppers
How I Live Now - War/ Action 3 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2022:
Somebody, Somewhere - Drama/ Comedy 5 Chilli Peppers 
Atlanta S4 - Art House 5 Chilli Peppers 
Ozark S4 - Crime/ Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Maid - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Better Call Saul S6 - Crime/ Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - Comedy 5 Chilli Peppers 
Dopesick -  Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
The White Lotus S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Severance - Fantasy 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Peacemaker - Super/ comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Pam and Tommy - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Boys S3 - Super/ Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
This is Going to Hurt - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
FROM - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Pistols - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Umbrella Academy S3- Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Dahmer- Horror/ Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
Black Bird - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers 
The Bear- Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do In The Shadows S4 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Woodstock '99 - Doco 4 Chilli Peppers 
Love, Death and Robots S3 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Our Flag Means Death - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Stranger Things S4 Part 1 - Sci-Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Mirror, Mirror by Todd Samson - Doco 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

2022 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
House of the Dragon- Fantasy  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Serpent Queen - Period/ fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Man vs Bee - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Colin from Accounts - Comedy - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Always Sunny in Philadelphia S15 - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Bloods S2-Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Ghosts S4 - Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Lizzo's Watch out for the Big Grrls - Reality 3 Chilli Peppers
Moon Knight - Super 3 Chilli Peppers
The Outlaws - Drama/comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Brassic S4- Crime/comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Fantasy 3 Chill Peppers 
The Sandman - Fantasy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Wednesday - Fantasy 3 Chilli Peppers 

After passing along covid to the entire family for Christmas we all found ourselves back together for new years eve. I mean, no risk of anyone getting sick if everyone's already riddled with the contagion right? There was little point to us all isolating from each other when we were all carrying the same strain and generally feeling fine; so, all of us 'sickies' congregated on the deck out here in Enfield to share a few nibbles and drinks, listen to some tunes and make some resolutions.
And looking back across the landscape of 2022, it really wasn't a bad year by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, things got a bit pear shaped towards the end, but generally speaking things were pretty cruisy and I got to do so many things once everything opened up again and the world got rolling again.
Here are some of my personal highlights from 2022: 
JANUARY: 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene, Smoker arrives in Enfield, Seth's 17th birthday, Bridal dress shopping with Zoe, Seeing Harry Potter - The Cursed Child in Melbourne, tuning in to the Triple j Hottest 100, Paint Your Mate event. 
FEBRUARY:  Chinese New Year celebrations, Smythesdale Fiesta, Ghost Hunting at Blackwood Pub, Spa day with Craig, Summersalt Music Festival, Blackberry picking. 
MARCH: Deep Blue Spa Day, My friends and family being a huge support to me when I had covid on my birthday!
APRIL: Easter Sunday with the family, April holiday break, ELVIS exhibition in Bendigo, Metal detecting with Ben and Zoe, Craig's Mustang arrived.
MAY: A trip to the Gisborne markets, Mother's Day, Spicywatch's 8th Birthday, Tour of the Old Ballarat Gaol, Seth's formal, Barwon Manor Ghost Hunt, Seth's Deb Ball. 
JUNE: Illuminate at the Bendigo Stupa, Mushrooming, Salem is born, Port Campbell Road Trip, Psychic expo, Winter School Holidays, Creswick Ghost Hunt, Zoe's 25th Birthday.
JULY: Winter Movie Marathon nights,  Road trip to Barwon Heads, Twin Peaks show at Hepburn Springs, POCO Short Film Festival, a trip to the Clunes markets. 
AUGUST:  Salem joined our family, The LUME gallery - Van Gogh exhibition, completed the Heritage walk, Book week dress up. 
SEPTEMBER: Father's Day, Spring School Holiday Break, Kyneton Ghost Hunting, High Tea at Fortuna, Girls Road Trip. 
OCTOBER:  Mother of the Bride dress shopping, Seth's last day at Damascus, Yoga Festival in Bendigo, Pumpkin carving, Halloween horror movie/ dinner night.
NOVEMBER: Hen's weekend in Melbourne with Zoe, High Tea at The Grand Hyatt, Zoe and Ben's wedding in Hepburn, Grade 4 Camp at Narmbool, Seth's Year 12 graduation, Spa day with Craig, 28th Wedding Anniversary.
DECEMBER: Carols event, Renault Koleos arrived, Summer Holidays kicking off, Christmas, fishing at Jubilee Lake. 

Pretty fair to say that even in spite of having had covid twice this year (once on my birthday and once at Christmas), getting my poor car's face pranged in and having to navigate the financial pitfalls of 2022, I have still had a really lovely year. 
There is a lot here to celebrate and appreciate that's for sure. And on top of all of that, I have also managed to squeeze in:

• Daily meditation.
• 62 books.
• Workouts - 5 times a week.
• 185 movies.
• 10,500 steps a day.
• 158 TV series.
• 42 brunches/ lunches and  delicious restaurant meals with family and friends. 
• A daily French lesson on Duolingo.
• Brain Gym everyday for 10 minutes a day.
• And....I reviewed another 45 movies on Spicywatch.

Woohoo! That's a lot of 'doing' for one year! 
And now, as 2023 gently unfurls itself before me I wonder what will arrive in the next 12 months. Only time will tell, but let's hope it's as exciting as the last year was for me. 

C'MON C'MON 
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 109 mins 
A touching and truly effecting drama that was written and directed by Mike Mills. It's been a while since I have watched something this genuinely raw and real. With an undeniable sweet chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman and filmed in moody black and white, this tale about an uncle and his nephew transcends in the simplest and purest of ways. 
Johnny and Viv have become estranged siblings since the painful death of their mother from dementia. When Johnny reaches out to Viv for the first time in a year he is saddened to hear about the struggles that she has been having managing her estranged husband's mental wellbeing. Viv reveals that she needs to be with her husband as they try to find him the correct care but doesn't have a carer for her nine year old son Jesse. Johnny volunteers to care for his nephew whilst Viv deals with her husband, and he and Jesse embark on a life changing road trip together. 
This is a stunningly beautiful movie about family loyalties, caring for others and uncovering unknown and foreign aspects of ourselves. The struggles and the triumphs feel incredibly plausible and as a parent, very relatable. The fragility and the strength of the ties that bind us to those we love are explored in sensitive and heartfelt ways and the cast is exceptionally good all round. 
C'mon C'mon is unmissable viewing, and it's definitely one of the best dramas to come out of 2021, so make the time to see it whenever you can. 
FINAL SAY: In your confusion and delight, you will forget where you came from.
4.5 Chilli Peppers ​

The spring break came and went so fast that I barely had time to register just how good it was until I found myself back at work this week. The sun was mostly present for the two week duration and I managed to fill it with an amazingly enjoyable array of fun activities.
In the space of 16 days I squeezed in all of the following things:
A ghost hunting adventure in Kyneton
Dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant 
A brow sculpting and trip to the hairdresser
High tea at Fortuna in Bendigo with my family
Lunch at Enfield with a dear friend
A replant of my vegetable garden
A trip to the Ballarat public library 
A leisurely walk and lunch with another friend
A full re-worked of the front garden beds and I even planted some new spring blooms 
A road trip through central Victoria with friends
Another terrific Asian fusion dinner and I also had some time to spare to....
Clean out my wardrobe, my pantry, my make up and even reorganised my game cupboard. 
Read four books, watch ten movies and finish three TV series that I had on the go. 
Review ten new movies on Spicywatch; journal, work out and meditate everyday and I even tried out some new home cooked recipes on the family - which they loved! It was a terrific break and also a deeply rewarding one for mind, body and spirit. I returned to work feeling like I had enjoyed a good mix of leisure time, family and friend time, practical time and my fave, me time!
However, the very best of the year lies just ahead of us now as Craig and I prepare for the most wonderful events that will be happening over the next couple of months. Between now and the end of January 2023 we will be celebrating:

• Halloween
• Seth's Year 12 Graduation
• Our 28th Wedding Anniversary
• Zoe and Ben's Wedding
• Christmas
• New Years 
• Seth's 18th Birthday and hopefully, all going well...
• Seth getting his drivers license. 

All that in just under 16 weeks, should be a breeze right? Lucky I know how to hustle when I need to that's all that I am going say!

HUSTLE
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 117 mins 
A sports drama directed by Jeremiah Zagar that was released by Netflix streaming service and received wide critical acclaim, mainly due to Adam Sandler's tremendously good performance. Now I'm not going to lie, I don't generally like sports dramas and I really don't know the first thing about basketball, but there is a real charm to this simple tale that makes it feel genuine and heartfelt without feeling forced or try hard. 
Stanley Sugarman is scouting for the next big basketball star for the Philadelphia 76ers when he stumbles across Bo Cruz in Spain. Bo is hustling for extra money in street basketball games and he is good, very good in fact. Stanley tries hard to get Bo into a Showcase game so that he can be signed, but Bo's streetwise manner, poor knowledge of professional basketball and lack of self control prove to be unforeseen and challenging obstacles to overcome. 
Adam Sandler is undoubtedly the heart and soul of this film, proving that he has come along way since his Billy Madison days of acting. He is well supported here by Queen Latifah who portrays his wife, Juancho Hernangomez (an actual Spanish basketballer) who plays Bo Cruz and dozens of real life basketball players who play themselves in this movie. 
Essentially, Hustle is a feel good sports film that will leave you with that fuzzy feel good vibe when it ends, it's sweet and it's simple and sometimes we all need a little bit of that. 
FINAL SAY: Do you love this game?
​3 Chilli Peppers ​

Unlike the Oscar's, The Emmy's went off without a hitch last week. Hosted by Kenan Thompson, the entire ceremony was very calm and composed. No-one got slapped and had to make a public apology after the effect, which was just lovely.
The biggest highlights of the evening for me were Lizzo's acceptance speech for Best Competition Program and Jennifer Coolidge's dance to the 'get off now' music when she accepted her award for The White Lotus. 
If I am going to be completely honest, I have to say that there were no big surprises when it came to the winners this year. The White Lotus, Ted Lasso and Succession were big hitters and this came as no surprise to anyone whatsoever. There were definitely some stand out TV series for me over the last year and as I watched the Emmy's I felt like I had pretty good idea who was going to win each category. 
As you would expect, all of the programmes were worthy, winner or not and if you have missed any of these incredible series then I would urge you to get on board as soon as you can. I have seen almost all of the winning TV programs, and they are truly terrific and worthy watches. 
If you missed it, here is a list of the winners for each category:

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Succession (HBO)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Zendaya (Euphoria)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Julia Garner (Ozark) 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) 
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Ted Lasso (Apple) 
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jean Smart (Hacks)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso) 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
BEST LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
The White Lotus (HBO)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR ANTHOLOGY
Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR ANTHOLOGY
Michael Keaton (Dopesick) 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)
BEST VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Saturday Night Live (NBC) 
BEST COMPETITION PROGRAM
Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (Amazon Prime Video)
BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Hwang Dong-hyuk (Squid Game) 
BEST DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Mike White (The White Lotus)
BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
MJ Delaney (Ted Lasso)
 BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) 
BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Jesse Armstrong (Succession) 
BEST WRITING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Mike White (The White Lotus)
BEST WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
Jerrod Carmichael (Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel) 
​

LICORICE PIZZA
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 133 mins 
Director Paul Thomas Anderson hits a high note with Licorice Pizza, delivering something thought provoking, poignant and precious in this 1970's American coming of age tale. Concerning and captivating in equal measure, you can expect an entertaining and unforgettable experience from this movie. 
Gary Valentine is growing up and trying to forge his own path in the world when he falls for Alana Kane, a head strong girl who is a few years his senior. The two traverse the highs and lows of first love and self discovery in San Fernando Valley, in 1973.
Although they are extremely well supported by a number of heavyweight actors including Sean Penn, Benny Safdie, Tom Waits and Bradley Cooper; it is Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman who steal all of the limelight here as they dazzle in their lead roles, delivering believable levels of youthful energy and naivety. 
Just as it's title proposes, this film is both delicious and disgusting. The gender stereotypes, the male privilege and entitlement and the subtle yet continual threat of danger for young women is prevalent and impossible to ignore. I just kept thinking about how far we have come and how desperately revolting so many men behaved in the 1970's as I watched this movie. It actually made me recall some incidences that occurred when I was a young and how naïve I had been to the predatorial behaviours that were not only accepted but also propped up and scaffolded during that era. 
However, underneath all of the grime there is a story here that will melt your heart and make you smile, because all of us have felt the pangs of young love and this film has it in buckets. 
FINAL SAY: I met the girl I'm gonna marry one day. 
​4 Chilli Peppers ​

Vagus is the Greek word for "wanderer" or "traveller." So it's the perfect name for a nerve that runs all the way through your body. The Vagus nerve starts at your brainstem and travels down the front of your neck via the carotid artery and then passes through your cardiovascular system, your digestive system, your reproductive organs and even touches on your vital organs as it moves along a neuronal superhighway, taking in information and passing along messages back to your brain. What a busy little nerve right? Well, it's actually not that little at all, it's the largest nerve in your body and it covers more internal ground than any other nerve inside of you. 
Aside of being huge and covering a lot of ground, it also does a lot of things whilst it is traversing about inside of you. The Vagus nerve is responsible for:

• Preventing inflammation
• Assisting with memory making
• Helping you to breathe
• Calming you down when you're stressed out
• Carry information from your gut to your brain
• Carrying messages between your liver, lungs, heart and brain
• Regulating your HPA axis which controls your stress responses
• Stimulating contractions on the GI tract
• Lowering your blood pressure
• Slowing down your heart rate when you are anxious or overworked

The Vagus nerve is the most influential nerve in our parasympathetic nervous system and it controls our moods, our immune responses, our crucial body functions and our digestion capabilities, so it is fair to say that we need to nurture it. 
Good new is that you can actually take care of your Vagus nerve and stimulate it by doing a few simple things. Turns out that your Vagus nerve loves:

• Cold showers or washing your face with cold water.
• Singing and humming
• Yoga and exercise
• Deep breathing and meditation
• Social connectedness and nurturing relationships 
• Laughter
• Gargling
• Massage
• Eye rotation and brain gym exercises
• Small amounts of UVA light 
• Omega-3 fatty acids 
• Fibre 
• Probiotics

Woah, turns out that the old Vagus nerve and I have quite a lot in common! I love most of these things as well! So, when it comes to taking care of my Vagus nerve, you could say that I am already 'the King' in that department.

ELVIS
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 159 mins
A biographical and musical tale about the life of iconic rock star Elvis Presley. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, Elvis delivers all of the dazzle and pizzazz that we have come to love about Luhrmann's style and the entire film is greatly supported by Austin Butler's outstanding portrayal of the legend himself, Elvis Presley. 
Narrated through the eyes of his long time manager Colonel Tom Parker, we see Elvis's rise from his poverty stricken southern childhood to his desperately sad and final performances in Las Vegas prior to his premature death at only 42 years of age.
All of the ups and downs and the trials and triumphs are explored as we traverse the landscape of Elvis's short life which is brought to life in a truly spectacular and respectful fashion. I feel like I learned a lot about 'The King of Rock and Roll' through this film and a lot of what I learned did make me feel quite sad. In essence this really is a tragic tale that is genuinely moving and also deeply touching. 
Austin Butler has set himself up for a nod at the Oscar's this year with his amazing effort here and he is very well supported by Tom Hanks as the Colonel and young Aussie actress Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla. Overall, the music and costumes are incredible and like all Luhrmann efforts, they are always best seen on the big screen if you can. For an almost three hour film, there wasn't a dull moment, which is an achievement in itself!
FINAL SAY: Wise men say, only fools rush in. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

The Queen's birthday long weekend could not have arrived at a more convenient time. Three days of wintery Enfield bliss was just what my flagging system needed and I spent much of the last few days bopping about in my flannelette PJ's, sipping alcoholic beverages and binge watching an absolute swag of TV and movies.  And I have to say that there has been a lot to enjoy on streaming services lately as they all seem to be scrambling over the top of each other to stream a multitude of good quality viewing opportunities. 
It is around this time every year that I like to offer my list of the best of the year so far to my faithful readers. Well, the best that I have watched anyway, I know for sure that there is a lot more out there to see than just what I put forward, but if I was recommending,  these are the TV programs and movies that I believe deserve your attention, your time and your energy so far.  So, in no particular order - 
TV SHOWS:

• Atlanta S3 - Drama SBS
• Our Flag Means Death - Comedy Foxtel
• Severance - Mystery/ Sci Fi Apple+
• EVIL S2 - Horror Stan 
• Ozark S4 -  Crime/ Drama Netflix 
• The Pentaverite - Comedy Netflix
• Peacemaker - Comedy/ Super Foxtel
• After Party - Mystery Apple+
• This is Going to Hurt - Docuseries Foxtel 
• Stranger Things S4 - Sci Fi Netflix 
• The Outlaws - Comedy/ Drama Prime
• Bloods S2 - Comedy Stan
• The Boys S3 -  Super Prime
• Pam and Tommy - Drama Disney
• Love, Death and Robots S3 - Sci Fi/ Animation Netflix
• Love on the Spectrum US - Reality Netflix
• Cursed Films S2 - Documentary Shudder 
• Lizzo's - Watch Out for the Big Grrrls - Reality Prime 
• Moon Knight - Super Disney 

MOVIES:

• The Batman - Super
• Fresh - Thriller 
• I Want You Back  - Rom/Com
• The Northman - Action 
• Nitram - Gritty 
• Everything, Everywhere All At Once - Fantasy 
• Hellbender - Horror 
• ​Spiderman - No Way Home -Super 

THE BATMAN
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 176 mins
The latest offering in the DC comic world, The Batman directed by Matt Reeves plunges us back into the seedy underbelly of Gotham City in perhaps the most gothic and dark portrayal of Batman so far. It was universally praised by fans and critics alike for it performances, score and cinematography and quickly became one of the highest grossing films of 2022. 
A masked psychopath calling himself the Riddler begins a grisly killing spree across Gotham City, leaving notes for the Batman at every crime scene. Batman must try to uncover the true identity of the Riddler and put his diabolical plans to an end before more lives are lost. 
All of the original villains are back in action here with The Penguin, Cat woman and the Riddler all making an appearance and they are a far cry from their first portrayals in the Tim Burton originals. In fact the entire Batman franchise has shifted gear again; moving further into the realms of lavish noir and further from the comic book cheap thrills of its earlier days. 
Across the board the cast is fantastic, with notable efforts from Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, John Turturro and Colin Farrell. Robert Pattinson has the lead role and portrays Batman with an entirely new level of broody emo that the character was missing from previous instalments. And although this is not my favourite Batman movie, I do think that Pattinson may be my favourite Batman to date. 
​Almost as good as The Dark Knight, and certainly as visually appealing, The Batman although clearly overlong, is a worthy and enjoyable superhero watch. 
FINAL SAY: Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky, it's not just a call. It's a warning. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​