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 ​

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards have been set for 12th September, much to my disappointment.  I am of course not disappointed that they are being held, I'm just disappointed that I will be at work when they will be televised so I will not get to enjoy them from the comfort of my couch during the day like I have previously been lucky enough to do for the last couple of years. Oh well, no biggy, I will certainly be able to catch a recap and will need to avoid all  spoilers until I can see them for myself after the fact.
For anyone who may be unaware, the Emmy awards honour the best in American prime time television programming between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It's a glamourous 'who's who of TV' event,  that many have dubbed the 'Oscars of Television' and the nominations often guide my viewing choices for the weeks leading up to the event. As always, the nominees for 2021/2022 look promising and very worthy and here's the list just in case you missed it. 
OUTSTANDING DRAMA
Better Call Saul
Euphoria
Ozark
Severance
Squid Game
Stranger Things (Season 4, Volume 1)
Succession
Yellowjackets
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Zendaya, Euphoria
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance
Jeremy Strong, Succession
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, Severance
Julia Garner, Ozark
Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game
Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Sarah Snook, Succession
Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Park Hae-soo, Squid Game
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
John Turturro, Severance
Christopher Walken, Severance
Oh Yeong-su, Squid Game
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Hope Davis, Succession
Marcia Gay Harden, The Morning Show
Martha Kelly, Euphoria
Sanaa Lathan, Succession
Harriet Walter, Succession
Lee You-mi, Squid Game
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Adrien Brody, Succession
James Cromwell, Succession
Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Arian Moayed, Succession
Tom Pelphrey, Ozark
Alexander Skarsgard, Succession
OUTSTANDING COMEDY
Abbott Elementary
Barry
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
What We Do in the Shadows
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning, The Great
Issa Rae, Insecure
Jean Smart, Hacks
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Toheeb Jimoh, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Jane Adams, Hacks
Harriet Sansom Harris, Hacks
Jane Lynch, Only Murders in the Building
Laurie Metcalf, Hacks
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Harriet Walter, Ted Lasso
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jerrod Carmichael, Saturday Night Live
Bill Hader, Curb Your Enthusiasm
James Lance, Ted Lasso
Nathan Lane, Only Murders in the Building
Christopher McDonald, Hacks
Sam Richardson, Ted Lasso
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Dopesick
The Dropout
Inventing Anna
Pam & Tommy
The White Lotus
OUTSTANDING MADE-FOR-TELEVISION MOVIE
Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Ray Donovan: The Movie
Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon
The Survivor
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE
Toni Collette, The Staircase
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam & Tommy
Sarah Paulson, Impeachment: American Crime Story
Margaret Qually, Maid
Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Himesh Patel, Station Eleven
Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE
Connie Britton, The White Lotus
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Alexandra Daddario, The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney, The White Lotus
Mare Winningham, Dopesick
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE
Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
Jake Lacy, The White Lotus
Will Poulter, Dopesick
Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy
Peter Sarsgaard, Dopesick
Michael Stuhlbarg, Dopesick
Steve Zahn, The White Lotus
OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cheer
Love On the Spectrum U.S.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Selling Sunset
REALITY SHOW HOST
Queer Eye‘s Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness
Nailed It!‘s Nicole Byer
Shark Tank‘s Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary
Top Chef‘s Padma Lakshmi
Making It‘s Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman
RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s RuPaul
OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Saturday Night Live
OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM
Arcane
Bob’s Burgers
Rick and Morty
The Simpsons
What If…?

I am most definitely surprised that Atlanta S3 did not get more attention, because I think that it is the best thing that I have watched so far this year. And I would also like to shout out to these terrific TV programs that also seemed to have been sadly overlooked:

• Reservoir Dogs
• Scenes From a Marriage
• We Own This City 
• Gaslit
• Yellowstone

I'll be tuning in on September 12th for the big reveal and will keep you all posted on the outcomes!

LEGENDS OF THE FALL
​Release Date: 1994
Rating: M
Running Time: 133 mins 
With a heartbreakingly gorgeous Brad Pitt in the lead, this epic tale of love, betrayal and sinful trysts will certainly enthral you. Based on the 1979 novella of the same name and directed by Edward Zwick, Pitt isn't the only thing looking amazing here because Legends of the Fall won the Best Cinematography Academy Award for its stunning visuals. 
An epic western saga, set in the 1900's, Legends of the Fall is about a beautiful woman from back East and the three sons of a Montana rancher who loved her and fought for her; set against the backdrop World War One. 
The cast is credible to say the least with Julia Ormond playing the love interest Susannah, Aidan Quinn, Brad Pitt and Henry Thomas playing the three sons and Anthony Hopkins portraying the family matriarch Ludlow. 
Sure it all plays out in a rather melodramatic fashion and there are a lot over the top emotions and obsessive behaviours, however for a romantic drama there a lot of other interesting things going here as well, particularly the historical significance of the US government's appalling treatment of the native Americans and the harrowing toll that WW1 had upon communities.
FINAL SAY: Every warrior hopes a good death will find him. 
3 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 ​

Sadly, because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was mired in racial controversy, The Golden Globes annual event was completely devoid of all stars and all cameras this year. Which also meant that it couldn't be televised - I mean, not a lot of point televising an awards ceremony if the stars aren't even going to be there right? So, for the first time in years, I didn't get to enjoy the glitz and glamour of it all from the comfort of my couch with a champers in my hand, I just had to wait to hear the results like everyone else did - via the media. 
It’s was a unfortunate downgrade of what used to be one of the glitziest awards shows in Hollywood. But after investigations by The Los Angeles Times and New York Times revealed a series of ethical lapses within the H.F.P.A. and a membership devoid of Black voters, Hollywood’s major publicity firms cut off the show’s access to stars. How on earth this has happened in this day and age seriously perplexes me, but at least the scandal has been brought out into the light for rectification. 
Naturally, the H.F.P.A. has since announced its new rules and has now admitted 21 new members, including journalists of colour; which is better late than never I suppose, but its pretty damn hard to make amends now.
And it still remains to be seen if Hollywood will even acknowledge Sunday’s awards ceremony, which is a genuine shame for the recipients, because in my opinion they were all most deserving of their wins. 
Below is the complete list of winners. 
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Power of the Dog”
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“West Side Story”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rachel Zegler, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Hans Zimmer, “Dune”
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
Billie Eilish, “No Time to Die”
Best Motion Picture, Animated
“Encanto”
Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“Drive My Car”
Best Television Series, Drama
“Succession”
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“Hacks”
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Underground Railroad”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, “Pose”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role
O Yeong-su, “Squid Game”

THE POWER OF THE DOG
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 126 mins 
An intelligent and genuinely intriguing film; written, produced and directed by Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog is mesmerising and disturbing in equal measures. With marvellous sweeping landscapes and enough sideways glances to make anyone uncomfortable, its hard to look away from the screen whilst you are watching this. After winning the Best Motion Picture - Drama at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, The Power of Dog swiftly gained attention and became the buzz film of early 2022.
The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers from Montana. One is a mild mannered gentleman named George and the other is a severe and intimidating cowboy named Phil. When George falls for a widow named Rose and brings her and her impressionable son Peter to their ranch to live, tensions rise as Phil attempts to assert himself over the newcomers. 
This is a slow burning western drama, so it isn't going to appeal to everyone, but it certainly appealed to me.  The cast is unbelievably good here, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons delivering their finest, but it was young Kodi Smit-McPhee that stole the show here with his  unassuming observations and contemplative behaviours as Rose's son Peter that really engrossed me. 
I loved this film from start to end, it explores the hardest of the hard and also the tenderest of souls, which is a contrast that I am always drawn to, and just like all of Jane Campion's efforts, this was a total winner for me.  
FINAL SAY: Deliver my soul from the sword. My darling from the power of the dog. 
5 Chilli Peppers ​

It was another strange year of cinema to say the least. I cannot deny that the home viewing opportunities in 2021 grew so fast that I found myself juggling all of my streaming services and an abundance of new release movies to no end. There was a head spinning amount of material to absorb and we were certainly spoilt for choice. If you couldn't find something to watch in 2021 then you just weren't trying hard enough!
I devoured 213 movies and 142 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 is on my 'to see' lists. 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. 
However, like I do every year, I did give it my very best shot and I did see a great deal of incredibly good things. 2021, just like 2020 managed to deliver greatness across all of the genres, for which I am always grateful. In particular I really appreciated seeing so many excellent horror and science fiction films this year; most of which boasted stunningly good visuals and terrifically original storylines.
And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2021. 
BEST MOVIES (2021 release):
The Power of the Dog - Drama  5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
Dune - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
Nomadland - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Promising Young Woman - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Don't Look Up - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
CODA - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Pig - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Saint Maud - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Bo Burnham: Inside  - Comedy  4 Chilli Peppers
The Last Duel - Action/Period  4 Chilli Peppers
Encanto - Kids 4 Chilli Peppers
The Dig - Drama   3.5 Chilli Peppers
Nobody - Action 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Mitchell's vs The Machines- Kids  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Fear Street Trilogy - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Cruella - Kids 3.5 Chilli Peppers

2021 HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
Palmer - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
The Conjuring 3 - The Devil Made Me Do It - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
Army of Thieves-  Action 3 Chilli Peppers 
Finch - Sci-Fi 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2021 releases that I didn't see until 2021:
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Romance 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
The Father - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
Another Round - International  4 Chilli Peppers
One Cut of the Dead - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The King of Staten Island - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Possessor - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
You Were Never Really Here - Gritty 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Host - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
On the Rocks -Drama  3 Chilli Peppers
The Dry - Drama  3 Chilli Peppers
Hillbilly Elegy- Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Blinded by the Light - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2021:
Ted Lasso S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Midnight Mass - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers 
Succession S3 -  Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
The White Lotus - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Mr Inbetween S3 - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
Britannia S3 - Fantasy 5 Chilli Peppers 
EVIL S2 - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers
It's a Sin - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Wandavision - Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
Reservation Dogs - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
American Gods S3 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Black Summer S2- Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
Mare of Easttown - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers 
SEE S2 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Brand New Cherry Flavour - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Love on the Spectrum S2 - Reality 4 Chilli Peppers 
Resident Alien- Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
Ghosts S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Foundation - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers 

2021 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
Master of None S3- Drama  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Young Offenders S3 - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
BUMP - Comedy - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Behind Her Eyes - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Cowboy Bebop - Sci- Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Loki- Sci-Fi/ Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Scenes from a Marriage - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Valley of Tears - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Nine Perfect Strangers - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Mr Corman - Art House 3 Chilli Peppers 
The Kominsky Method S3 - Drama 3 Chill Peppers 
AHS Double Feature - 3 Chilli Peppers 

PIG
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 92 mins 
An American drama, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski in his directorial debut. And I think that it would be fair to say that the subject material here certainly had people raising their eyebrows with scepticism, but in all honesty, Pig is one of the most unexpectedly heartfelt and affecting films of the year, so don't be mislead.
A hermit truffle hunter named Rob (Nicholas Cage) has his truffle hunting pig stolen and will stop at nothing to get it back again, even if it means venturing back into a world that he abandoned long ago. 
As far as the storyline goes, we have all seen this before; a damaged, lonely man becomes attached to his pet and it gets taken from him, hello John Wick. However, it isn't very far into the movie that we see that this is not just a film about avenging a stolen pig, it is actually about having the courage to choose what you really want out of life and the pure joy of simple pleasures. 
Nicholas Cage is bringing his all and hasn't been this good since Leaving Las Vegas, he is actually that good. It's a riveting performance and testament to the fact that he still has it. Alex Wolf is equally good along side of Cage and the two are a powerhouse of emotion together.
I adored the contemplative tone of this film from start to end, I thought that the film's strength dwells in its simplicity. In my opinion, Pig is definitely one of the best drama offerings of 2021.
FINAL SAY: We don't get a lot of things to really care about.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Just spent the last fortnight in a state of complete and utter holiday bliss. The sun was out almost everyday and when it wasn't, well it really didn't matter because it just gave me plenty of opportunity to laze about at home and do all of the things that I love to do. I have read seven books, binge watched entire TV series, done 40 minute of yoga each day, slept in for at least half of those days and also watch a movie everyday for 14 days straight and I don't feel even slightly guilty for indulging my passions or getting as much rest and relaxation time in as possible. 
I brunched with friends, picnicked in the local gardens, played tennis twice, walked 10,000 steps a day, meditated for hours, had my first restaurant lunch in months and caught up with family. I baked, cooked, drew, journaled and sat about on Pinterest to my hearts content and I have loved every moment of it. I have zero regrets and tonnes of gratitude for just how rejuvenating and rested I am feeling right now. 
I could mention how out of hand the COVID numbers are and how depressing it is to still be in a pandemic, but I'm not going to go there. Instead I am going to draw your attention to the mighty fine Emmy Award Winners for 2021 (which just happened to air on the very first of my holiday break- just to add a little icing to my happy time cake). And if you haven't seen the list yet, it's impressive and will definitely give you something to turn your attentions to if you need some distraction from the miserable state of the world right now. 

​Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
WINNER: Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
WINNER: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Swift, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
WINNER: Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Moses Ingram, The Queen's Gambit

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen's Gambit
WINNER: Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Boys (Rebecca Sonnenshine, Episode: "What I Know")
WINNER: The Crown (Peter Morgan, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Yahlin Chang, Episode: "Home")
Lovecraft Country (Misha Green, Episode: "Sundown")
The Mandalorian (Dave Filoni, Episode: "Chapter 13: The Jedi")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 16: The Rescue")
Pose (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Bridgerton (Julie Anne Robinson, Episode: "Diamond of the First Water")
The Crown (Benjamin Caron, Episode: "Fairytale")
WINNER: The Crown (Jessica Hobbs, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Liz Garbus, Episode: "The Wilderness")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 9: The Marshal")
Pose (Steven Canals, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
WINNER: Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid's Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid's Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid's Tale
Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
Max Minghella, The Handmaid's Tale
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid's Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
WINNER: Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Amber Ruffin Show
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
The Flight Attendant (Steve Yockey, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
Girls5eva (Meredith Scardino, Episode: "Pilot")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Episode: "There Is No Line")
PEN15 (Maya, Erskine, Episode: "Play")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Pilot")

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
B Positive (James Burrows, Episode: "Pilot")
The Flight Attendant (Susanna Fogel, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Episode: "There Is No Line")
Mom (James Widdoes, Episode: "Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak")
Ted Lasso (Zach Braff, Episode: "Biscuits")
Ted Lasso (MJ Delaney, Episode: "The Hope that Kills You")
Ted Lasso (Declan Lowney, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Allison Janney, Mom
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Kenan Thompson, Kenan

Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
WINNER: RuPaul's Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Hamilton (Thomas Kail)
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Michaela Coel, Episode: "Ego Death")
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Episode: "Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes")
Mare of Easttown (Craig Zobel)
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
The Underground Railroad (Barry Jenkins)
WandaVision (Matt Shakman)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
WINNER: I May Destroy You (Michaela Coel)
Mare of Easttown (Brad Ingelsby)
The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
WandaVision (Chuck Hayward, Peter Cameron, Episode: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!")
WandaVision (Jac Schaeffer, Episode: "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience")
WandaVision (Laura Donney, Episode: "Previously On")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
WINNER: Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emma Corrin, The Crown
WINNER: Olivia Colman, The Crown
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
Mj Rodriguez, Pose

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Billy Porter, Pose
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
WINNER: Josh O'Connor, The Crown

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd
WINNER: Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Bo Burnham: Inside 
David Byrne's American Utopia
8:46 - Dave Chappelle
Friends: The Reunion
WINNER: Hamilton 
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote

Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Pen15
Emily in Paris
Hacks
WINNER: Ted Lasso
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method

Outstanding Drama Series
The Boys
Bridgerton
WINNER: The Crown
The Mandalorian
Lovecraft Country
Pose
The Handmaid's Tale
This Is Us

Outstanding Limited Series
Mare of Easttown
I May Destroy You
WandaVision
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit
The Underground Railroad

​AND...the best movie I watched over the spring holiday break was...

ANOTHER ROUND
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M 
Running Time: 117 mins 
A Danish film originally entitled Druk or "binge drinking" that was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.  Another Round went on to great acclaim; winning the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and then two BAFTA's in 2021. 
Another Round cleverly uses a mixture of dark humour and drama to address sensitive topics like alcoholism, mid-life crisis and pressure in the workplace to create a thought provoking and affecting dialogue.
Four teachers undertake an experiment to test the Finn Skårderud theory that human's are born with a blood alcohol content (BAC) that is 0.05 deficient. By imbibing just enough alcohol to maintain a 0.05 BAC reading, as long as they don't drink after 8pm and abstain altogether on the weekends, the four friends make a pact to see how this experiment will affect their lives. 
As you would imagine, getting partially drunk at work on the daily is challenging, especially when you are a teacher and the results are somewhat amusing but also quite disturbing.
Mads Mikkelsen delivers another solid performance in the lead role and he is very well supported by the Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe and Magnus Millang as the drunken brotherhood. This film says a lot about our social attitudes towards drinking, our tolerance and acceptance of it as a readily available and social stimulant and just how easily excessive drinking can destroy lives and relationships. Another Round is truly food for thought and it really made me reassess the way that I approach alcohol in my everyday life. 
FINAL SAY: We're not alcoholics. We decide when we want to drink. An alcoholic can't help himself. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

There has been a pretty significant boom in origin story movies over the last 10 years and for good reason. A great origin story is a powerful tool for explaining how things landed where they have and it can really help viewers to fill in the gaps when it comes to character development and motivation. A good origin film will highlight the start of a mission or vision and will build a sense of understanding and loyalty when it comes to a character's archetype.
Therefore, it is not surprising that in our comic obsessed world that a lot of comic book characters have been given their own origin story movies. However, we are now also seeing a slew of origin tales being released that are not just comic based, some of which are even being developed into full 10 episode television series. And I supposed that it has prompted me to wonder whether all of these origin stories are really all that necessary?
Ultimately, the answer lies in one simple question: What kind of characters really do deserve to have a origin story made about them? In my mind, the types of characters that deserve to have an origin story (or prequel) are the ones that we feel like we want to understand better than we have been able to so far. If there is nothing to be gained or explained from going back to the source of it all, then I would say that means that there is no need for an origin tale about that character.
Furthermore, if a director decides to do an origin tale then they cannot afford to half arse the story; in short - if you are going to tell it you have to tell it all, respectfully and faithfully to any previously established information. I have wasted precious time watching origin films that were not only underwhelming in their delivery but also undermined previously developed storyline and character arcs by changing the game. The worst ones of all didn't add anything to what I had already gleaned from previous films and left me feeling less connected to the storyline or character by the end, which is just completely pointless filmmaking in my opinion. 
However, when an origin film is made well, it is a pleasure to watch and it will deliver some much needed insight into a character's psyche and behaviour, evolve plot lines and elevate the story telling to greater heights. And to that kind of origin movie, I say a very loud yes! 
Here are my top ten favourite origin films that really got the recipe right, proving that sometimes when we go back, we can actually move very far forward with our understanding.

1. The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey 
2. The Godfather 2 
3. Casino Royale 
4. Back to the Future 
5. Red Dragon  
6. Kill Bill Vol 2 
7. Joker 
8. X-Men: First Class 
9. Monsters University
10. Cruella 

The 73rd Emmys awards ceremony will be celebrating excellence in television in just over a month from now. The Emmys always gets me thinking about the best television that I have been experiencing and always gives me a range of TV material to put on to my own 'must see' lists. 
If you haven't checked out the line up yet, here are the TV programs that gained the most attention overall this time around that are also nominated for an Emmy:
Comedy series
“black-ish”
“Cobra Kai”
“Emily in Paris”
“The Flight Attendant”
“Hacks”
“The Kominsky Method”
“PEN15"
“Ted Lasso”

Limited series
“I May Destroy You”
“Mare of Easttown”
“The Queen’s Gambit”
“The Underground Railroad”
“WandaVision”

Drama series
“The Boys”
“Bridgerton”
“The Crown”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Lovecraft Country”
“The Mandalorian”
“Pose”
“This Is Us”

TV movie
“Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”
“Oslo”
“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia”
“Sylvie’s Love”
“Uncle Frank”

Variety special (prerecorded)
“Bo Burnham: Inside”
“David Byrne’s American Utopia”
“8:46 — Dave Chappelle”
“Friends: The Reunion”
“Hamilton”
“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”

Animated program
“Big Mouth”
“Bob’s Burgers”
“Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal”
“The Simpsons”
“South Park: The Pandemic Special”

Variety sketch series
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“Saturday Night Live”

Competition series
“The Amazing Race”
“Nailed It!”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”

Variety talk series
“Conan”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

Do I personally think that anything got snubbed this year that should've made the list? Well, I am no expert but I do think that the following shows were all worthy of a nomination and deserved a lot more attention, so let's give them an honourable shout out right now:

• It's a Sin
• The Good Lord Bird 
• Small Axe
• Behind Her Eyes 
• Resident Alien
• What We Do the Shadows S2 
• High Fidelity 

Anyway, maybe some of them fell outside of the cut off date and will get their moment of glory sometime in the future. And hopefully you will be able to find something on these lists that is worthy of your own viewing time or to add to your own 'must see' list.
As always dear readers, happy viewing. 

HOST
Release Date: 2020
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 57 mins 
Directed by Rob Savage in his first feature length debut and released on Shudder streaming, Host is different from regular horror films for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is only 57 minute long which is too long to be a short and too short to be a full fledged feature film, so it is unique in that way. Secondly, it was released, shot and edited during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period and the characters in the film reflect that by wearing masks, social distancing and engaging in Zoom meetings to touch base with each other which makes the content feel quite realistic. In fact, a lot of the movie does have an unscripted, almost improvised vibe to it, which in my opinion greatly assists in carrying the scare levels to greater heights. 
A group of six friends decide to perform a séance together whilst they are in an online Zoom meeting with the assistance of a qualified medium. It isn't long before everyone in the meeting begins to sense that something supernatural is occurring and escalating quickly. 
This isn't the first time that a horror movie has been based around sinister online interactions, but it easily the best and most unique version of its kind.  The virtually unknown actors are all really convincing and the overall delivery is so authentic that you cannot help but feel unnerved as the awful events unfold. 
Hardly a game changer, but at 57 minutes Host delivers some decent and plausible scares for half the run time of regular horror films. 
FINAL SAY:  Please take it seriously tho and be respectful. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

After a 441 day hiatus, the longest gap to date, the 93rd Annual Academy Awards finally occurred last Sunday evening. I have now watched nearly all of the awards ceremony for 2021 - The Golden Globes, The Emmys, the BAFTAs and now the Oscars as well and it would be very fair to say the nominations and winners were all very consistent and obviously extremely deserving. 
The MTV awards and Tony's haven't happened yet if you're still thirsty for more awards ceremonies and late May will also bring Eurovision back into our lives if you're hungry for something completely fresh and unique. 
However for now I still have a few things to catch up on watching from the winners lists and I am taking a couple of weeks off award shows because I feel like I have tortured my family enough this year.
I do have to admit that I am currently deeply obsessed with all things Montaigne after seeing her live earlier this year and I will definitely be watching the Eurovision awards because she is representing Australia this year in the competition. 
Here is the line up for the EUROVISION airing times in Australia if like me, you're interested and a little Montaigne obsessed as well. 
Semi-Final 1 – Friday 21 May, 8.30pm (AEST), SBS -FEATURING MONTAIGNE
Semi-Final 2 – Saturday 22 May, 8.30pm (AEST), SBS
Grand Final – Sunday 23 May, 7.30pm (AEST), SBS

And just in case you missed all of the Academy Award action, here is the full list of 2021 Oscar nominations and winners:
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) (WINNER)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Steven Yeun (“Minari”)

​Best Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States v. Billie Holiday”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) (WINNER)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)

Best Picture
“The Father” (David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, producers)
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, producers)
“Mank” (Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, producers)
“Minari” (Christina Oh, producer)
“Nomadland” (Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, producers) (WINNER) 
“Promising Young Woman” (Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, producers)
“Sound of Metal” (Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, producers)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, producers)

Best Original Song
“Fight for You,” (“Judas and the Black Messiah”). Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas (WINNER)
“Hear My Voice,” (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite
“Húsavík,” (“Eurovision Song Contest”). Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson
“Io Si (Seen),” (“The Life Ahead”). Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini
“Speak Now,” (“One Night in Miami”). Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

Best Original Score
“Da 5 Bloods,” Terence Blanchard
“Mank,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“Minari,” Emile Mosseri
“News of the World,” James Newton Howard
“Soul,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste (WINNER)
Best Film Editing“The Father,” Yorgos Lamprinos
“Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao
“Promising Young Woman,” Frédéric Thoraval
“Sound of Metal,” Mikkel E.G. Nielsen (WINNER)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Alan Baumgarten

Best Cinematography
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” Sean Bobbitt
“Mank,” Erik Messerschmidt (WINNER)
“News of the World,” Dariusz Wolski
“Nomadland,” Joshua James Richards
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Phedon Papamichael

Best Production Design
“The Father.” Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton
“Mank.” Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale (WINNER)
“News of the World.” Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan
“Tenet.” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova (‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)
Olivia Colman (“The Father”)
Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)
Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) (WINNER)

Best Visual Effects
“Love and Monsters,” Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox
“The Midnight Sky,” Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins
“Mulan,” Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram
“The One and Only Ivan,” Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez
“Tenet,” Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher (WINNER)

Best Documentary Feature
“Collective,” Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana
“Crip Camp,” Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder
“The Mole Agent,” Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez
“My Octopus Teacher,” Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster (WINNER)
“Time,” Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn

Best Documentary Short Subject
“Colette,” Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard (WINNER)
“A Concerto Is a Conversation,” Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
“Do Not Split,” Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook
“Hunger Ward,” Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman
“A Love Song for Latasha,” Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

Best Animated Feature Film
“Onward” (Pixar)
“Over the Moon” (Netflix)
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (Netflix)
“Soul” (Pixar) (WINNER)
“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)

Best Animated Short Film
“Burrow” (Disney Plus/Pixar)
“Genius Loci” (Kazak Productions)
“If Anything Happens I Love You” (Netflix) (WINNER)
“Opera” (Beasts and Natives Alike)
“Yes-People” (CAOZ hf. Hólamói)

Best Live-Action Short Film
“Feeling Through”
“The Letter Room”
“The Present”
“Two Distant Strangers” (WINNER)
“White Eye”

Best Sound
“Greyhound,” Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman
“Mank,” Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin
“News of the World,” Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett
“Soul,” Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker
“Sound of Metal,” Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh (WINNER)

Best Director
Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”)
David Fincher (“Mank”)
Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”)
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) (WINNER)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)

Best Costume Design
“Emma,” Alexandra Byrne
“Mank,” Trish Summerville
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Ann Roth (WINNER)
“Mulan,” Bina Daigeler
“Pinocchio,” Massimo Cantini Parrini

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Emma,” Marese Langan, Laura Allen, Claudia Stolze
“Hillbilly Elegy,” Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney, Matthew Mungle
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson (WINNER)
“Mank,” Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams, Colleen LaBaff
“Pinocchio,” Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli, Francesco Pegoretti

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) (WINNER)
Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”)
Lakeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Best International Feature Film
“Another Round” (Denmark) (WINNER)
“Better Days” (Hong Kong)
“Collective” (Romania)
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia)
“Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Best Adapted Screenplay
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Nina Pedrad
“The Father,” Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (WINNER)
“Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao
“One Night in Miami,” Kemp Powers
“The White Tiger,” Ramin Bahrani

Best Original Screenplay
“Judas and the Black Messiah.” Screenplay by Will Berson, Shaka King; Story by Will Berson, Shaka King, Kenny Lucas, Keith Lucas
“Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung
“Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell (WINNER)
“Sound of Metal.” Screenplay by Darius Marder, Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder, Derek Cianfrance
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Aaron Sorkin

HILLBILLY ELEGY
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M 
Running Time: 116 mins 
An American drama directed by Ron Howard and based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by J. D. Vance. Released on Netflix and met with mixed reviews, Hillbilly Elegy's short comings are greatly elevated by the award worthy performances of Glenn Close and Amy Adams. 
J. D. Vance, a young Yale law student, is pulled back in to the dramatics of his old life when he returns to his home town to deal with a family crisis. Upon returning J.D. reflects on the potential outcomes of his own life and the lives of the generations of his family before him. 
This is very much a tale about choosing your own destiny and escaping destructive family cycles. The performances are really strong which adds a lot of levity and merit to the tale overall and contrary to the very tepid reviews that it received, I genuinely enjoyed this film. I thought that this film actually delivered a plausible and compassionate depiction of a small town, low socio-economic family and the challenges that they faced together because of their station in life. Don't be put off by the reviews, Hillbilly Elegy is definitely worth a look. 
FINAL SAY: You got to decide, you want to be somebody or not?
3 Chilli Peppers ​

March has kicked off with a flurry of celebration, festivity and fun. Since I last posted things have been hectic in the most delightful of ways. Last weekend Zoe and Ben joined us in Ballarat for a belated Chinese New Year dinner celebration on Saturday evening and then we all attended Summer Salt together on the following Sunday. I cannot even begin to tell you how much joy live music brought back to my life on that day. You really do forget just how marvellous it feels to be in a huge crowd of people all singing together and getting into the vibe of it on a brilliant sun-shiny day. It honestly rejuvenated me in ways that I cannot even explain in words, it was just so damn good for my soul!
The line up of performers was stellar and everyone that performed was clearly just as happy to be in front of a live audience again as much as we were all glad to be back in a crowd of adoring fans. We all greatly enjoyed Nat Vazer, Montaigne, Boy and Bear, John Butler, The Teskey Brothers and The Cat Empire together, sank a few drinks and swayed to the music as the sun went down on a day that none of us will forget in a hurry.  It was a wonderful way to farewell the Summer, share some time with loved ones and reconnect to the electric energy that you can only get from large music festivals once again. 
On Monday night I hit the couch to take in the 2021 Golden Globe Awards which was a bit of an understated event due to the COVID-19 restrictions. However, all things considered I still watched it all, enjoyed seeing all of the cast and crew in their own homes (some looking more glamorous than others) and was genuinely not at all surprised by the outcomes (listed below).  I think that my favourite recipient of the evening was Sacha Baron Cohen  who deservingly won Best actor and Best Motion Picture in a musical/ comedy motion picture for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.  I think that Baron Cohen may be one of the most interesting and intriguing people on the planet to me right now, and he never fails to make me smile when he is on screen. 
This weekend, also the March labour day long weekend, I hit the highway on Friday night and headed to Zoe and Ben's in Bendigo to attend a weekend yoga festival. I absolutely love yoga, but I gotta say that after being in downward facing dog for the better part of 5 odd hours on Saturday, when I arose on Sunday morning I felt pretty stiff and was feeling the burn in some muscles that I didn't know even know that I had anymore. However, it was an awesome couple of days of getting zen, stretching, meditating, eating great food and spending time with my beautiful daughter and her partner. I even got to take in the Artists market, Farmers market and Mill Market in Castlemaine on Sunday on the way home, so I came home with a swag of goodies and even managed to get some early Easter shopping done as well. 
Today I have quietly spent International Women's Day resting and rebooting my system for the week ahead and reflecting on how wonderful my last few weeks have been. I can't even express how genuinely grateful I am to have been able to enjoy all of these special moments and quality time with the people that I love so much, it has really been a time of great celebration and enjoyment for me. Here's hoping that I can keep this high vibe of mine rolling for the rest of the term; I got the momentum going now, so I say - let's just keep on rolling....
2021 Golden Globe winners
Best motion picture, drama
Nomadland 

Best actress in a motion picture, drama
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday 

Best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm 

Best motion picture, musical or comedy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

 Best director, motion picture
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Best actor in a motion picture, drama
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Best limited series or TV movie
The Queen's Gambit 

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie​
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit 

Best supporting actress in a TV role
Gillian Anderson, The Crown 

Best actress in a supporting role in any motion picture​
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian 

Best TV series, drama
The Crown 

Best motion picture, foreign language​
Minari (USA) 

Best actor in a TV series, drama​
Josh O'Connor, The Crown 

Best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot 

Best TV series, musical or comedy​
Schitt's Creek

Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy​
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso 

​Best original score, motion picture
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste - Soul

Best original song, motion picture​
Io Si (Seen), The Life Ahead 

Best actress in a TV series, drama​
Emma Corrin, The Crown

Best screenplay, motion picture​
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 

Best actor in a limited series or TV movie
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much is True  

Best motion picture, animated​
Soul 

Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy​
Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek

Best supporting actor in a TV role
John Boyega, Small Axe 

Best actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah 

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Release Date: 2020
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 130 mins 
An historical real-life drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and released on Netflix due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trial of the Chicago 7 went on to receive wide critical acclaim for its excellent screenplay, stellar performances and its modern parallels to the 1960s. 
Seven men find themselves on trial for various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. 
This is one of the most interesting and engaging courtroom dramas that I have seen in an age and the incredible cast are really bringing out their best here. Sacha Baron Cohen practically steals the show in every scene that he is in and even landed himself a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor due to his amazing performance. However it must be said that the cast is across the board, with incredible and notable performances delivered from Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Frank Langella. 
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a dramatization of a significantly important event that not only resonates with current political events but also demonstrates the power and passion of the people when it comes to human rights. 
FINAL SAY: We carried ideas across state lines. Not machine guns or drugs or little girls. Ideas. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Normally at this time of the year I would have been able to recount all of the wonderful things that I did and the people that I shared my time with throughout the year, and write a really amazing blog post reminiscing about those events; this year however - not so much! To say that 2020 was a difficult year would be a massive understatement, but for those of you that are out there reading this, well at least we survived it right?
Equally it was a strange year of cinema to say the least! I cannot deny that the viewing opportunities in 2020 grew wider and faster than anyone (even myself) could possibly have kept up with. However, this year I only watched 185 movies in total, which does sound like a lot but it was actually 30 less than I watched in 2019. This was mainly due to the quality of the films on offer, which in opinion were not nearly as consistently great as they were in 2019 and I found myself wading through a lot mediocre movies this year. 
However, television was a whole other ball game, and I watched 153 television series (some of which were more than one series of catch up as well) which was a lot more TV than I viewed in 2018 or 2019, so it all balances out to the same amount of couch smashing in the end and still translates to me being a serious media addict. 
You will notice that there are a lot of TV series listed below that got 4 chilli peppers or more, certainly more than movies did and that is simply because there were a lot more excellent TV experiences to be had this year. The influx of genuinely high level television in 2020 was literally never ending and because of COVID19 lockdowns across the globe we were given the best TV streaming opportunities that we have ever had before. My 'to see' list is pages long these days as I struggle to keep ahead of the game and the movie reviews that I still need to add to my blog, but alas it is a labour of love and I have enjoyed every moment of media escapism that I have indulged in this year. 
2020, just like 2019 managed to deliver greatness across all genres, for which I am very grateful. The international films, independent films and animated films were amazingly good this year and it was great to see so many excellent films and series from those genres. And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2020. 
BEST MOVIES (2020 release):
Soul - Kids  5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Sound of Metal - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Onward - Kids  4 Chilli Peppers
Black is King - Musical  4 Chilli Peppers
The Vast of Night - Sci-Fi   3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Invisible Man - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Willoughbys - Kids  3.5 Chilli Peppers
His House - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Colour Out of Space - Sci -Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Da 5 Bloods - War 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Enola Holmes  - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Deadwood: The Movie - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Save Yourselves! - Sci-Fi/ Comedy   3.5 Chilli Peppers

2020 HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
The Platform - Gritty/ International  3 Chilli Peppers
Swallow - Gritty 3 Chilli Peppers
Palm Springs -  Romance/ Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Vivarium - Sci-Fi 3 Chilli Peppers 
#Alive - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
American Murder: The Family Next Door - Doco 3 Chilli Peppers 
Relic - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2020 releases that I didn't see until 2020:
1917 - War 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
Parasite - International 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Shadow - International 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Nightingale - Gritty  4 Chilli Peppers
Uncut Gems - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
The Lighthouse - Art House  4 Chilli Peppers
The Farewell - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Burning - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Ford v Ferrari - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Chasing Coral - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Peanut Butter Falcon - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Mid90s - Drama   3.5 Chilli Peppers
Zombieland 2: Double tap - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Dr Sleep - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Rocketman - Musical  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Gentlemen - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Crime  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Hail Satan? - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
3 Identical Strangers - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Mystify: Michael Hutchence - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Lodge - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
The Night Eats the World - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2020:
Succession S2 -  Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
Ozark S3 - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
Lovecraft Country - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers
This Country S3 - Comedy 5 Chilli Peppers
Raised by Wolves - Sci- Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Queen's Gambit - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Mandalorian - Sci-Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Better Call Saul S5 - Crime 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Morning Wars - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
I May Destroy You - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
DEVS - Sci-Fi  4 Chilli Peppers 
The Magicians S5 - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
The Great - Period Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S2 - Horror/Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Mythic Quest - Comedy/Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Kidding S2 - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
The Boys S2 - Super 4 Chilli Peppers
Ramy S2 - Comedy/ Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
The Haunting of Bly Manor -  Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
The Undoing - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Wayne - Crime/ Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Unorthodox - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
​It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S14 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
High Fidelity - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers

2020 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
Ratched - Thriller  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
SEE - Sci- Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Avenue 5 - Sci-Fi/ Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Dave - Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers
The Servant - Thriller  3 Chilli Peppers
 The Umbrella Academy S2- Fantasy 3 Chilli Peppers
The Third Day - Thriller  3 Chilli Peppers 
After Life S2 - Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Killing Eve S3 - Crime  3 Chilli Peppers 
Breeders - Comedy  3.5 Chilli Peppers 

Being an avid and addicted movie goer has also made me extremely hungry for great original stories. Unfortunately, the more books that you read and the more movies and television that you consume, the more that you will often feel that finding new, fresh and interesting stories becomes harder and harder. And quite honestly, it does. It just does, it gets harder and harder all of the time to find original, quality viewing. And there is so much crap to wade through in your pursuit of quality that it can become really laborious trying to find that next great thing. And it isn't just cinema addicts like me that are desperately thirsting for great new material, just about everyone does and there are a few main reasons that this happens. 
Firstly, stories activate parts of the brain that allow a receiver to turn parts of the story in to their own ideas and experiences, this is called neural coupling. It doesn't mean that you'll have delusions and believe that some sci-fi story actually happened to you, but it does expand your neural activity to form empathy pathways or understandings around the storytelling material that didn't exist before, which can make people more emotionally evolved and intelligent. Some listeners or viewers will even be able to mirror emotions and experiences and this can also create new pathways in brain activity, which is of course highly stimulating. 
Secondly, the brain releases dopamine into your system when you experience an emotionally charged event, even if you just witness it. The effect of viewing material that elicits an emotional response within you can be just as powerful as a real life experience and that dopamine release is highly addictive, which is why your brain will want to repeat the experience, hence the desire to find original and varied viewing experiences.
And lastly, when you are processing new ideas or facts, two main areas of your brain are activated, the Broca's and the Wernicke's areas. The Broca's area links to your speech, language and understanding of movement. The Wernicke's region of the brain is where your comprehension and understanding of language usage comes from. Those two parts of your brain light up like a Christmas tree when you see or hear something new, forming new pathways, expanding your vocabulary and strengthening your understanding of the world. 
Pretty clear to see why we all long to find the next new thing isn't it? Our brains and bodies are actually addicted to it. We all long for more stimulation, and for me that comes in the form of something fresh and original. It can be a TV program, a podcast or a book, but my ultimate passion  and deepest longing will always be for a movie that ignites my senses. 
And in my search for cinematic gold, I have a few handy tricks up my sleeve which may also help you to locate more quality and compatible viewing materials easily in the future. 

1. Before you watch anything, check the reviews IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Anything that gets less than 70% or 7 out of 10 is probably going to be a waste of your precious time and more than likely unoriginal, so don't bother. 
2. Find an online reviewer that you agree with 70% of the time. It could be a YouTuber or a blogger - Spicywatch is an excellent reviewer (LOL), but find someone that you know has similar and consistent taste with you. For me that person is Chris Stuckmann on YouTube. 
3. Download the taste app, it will give you movie and TV recommendations based on the things that you have previously loved and it will also tell you where you can stream them, this app is a godsend for me. (Try the Goodreads app if you are looking for new reading material - it works in the same way).
4. Don't get sucked in by the feature films that appear when you go on to your streaming services. Just because a streaming service has been promoting something heavily that doesn't necessarily make it good or high quality, try not to be taken in by the flashy shorts and previews, learn to be discerning. 
5. Read reputable movie and TV magazines like Empire, Total Film or Film Comment to stay ahead of what is coming out. This will help you to keep your eye out for things that you are interested in and that are worthy of your time. 
6. Watch movie previews on IMDb and scan lists like 'best movies of 2019' to make sure that you haven't missed anything amazing. 
7. Keep a list of movies that you want to see somewhere so that you can refer back to it when you need something good to watch.
8. Record recommendations straight onto your phone as soon as you get them so that you don't forget the name of something that someone told you was excellent. 
9. Don't be afraid to watch old or classic material. Some of the best things you'll ever watch or read will not be found on the new release list. 
10. Share your amazing viewings with others, because as I said, we all hunger for quality storytelling. 

CITIZEN KANE
Release Date: 1941
Rating: PG
Running Time: 119 mins 
Cited by more directors than you can poke a stick at as one of their 'all time favourite' movies, Citizen Kane has been inspiring filmmakers and intriguing audiences for decades with it's mysterious plot line and noir film styling. Directed and written by, as well as starring in the lead role, Orson Welles who absolutely shines before and behind the camera in this masterpiece of classic cinema. 
Publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane's extraordinary, unusual and turbulent life becomes a source of great fascination after he passes away. A journalist is sent to investigate Kane's perplexing final utterance as he lay on his deathbed through a series of interviews and speculations from the people that were closest to him in life.  
This film is not only visually well ahead of it's time, it also sparks great debate and discussion, which is probably why so many schools still choose to study it in media and art. It's deeply esoteric and totally ambitious, but it delivers in all respects and will always be a movie that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. 
FINAL SAY: Rosebud.
4.5 Chilli Peppers ​

The Emmy awards were held last Monday, which I was again fortunate enough to be at home to enjoy - Hazar! This year was the first time that a big awards ceremony was held remotely due to COVID19 and I have to say that although yes, it wasn't as good as the usual extravaganza of glitz and glamour that we have come to expect from the Emmy's, however given the circumstances it was still really enjoyable and completely watchable. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel who apparently said "I don't know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it" when he found out that the Emmy's were still going ahead in spite of the worldwide pandemic. And seriously, why shouldn't it go ahead? We need a little bit of celebration and frivolity right now and I always appreciate a good awards ceremony regardless of the format. 
Anyway, it was Schitt's Creek's night for sure when they won an incredible and completely deserving nine Emmy's in total and broke the record for the most wins in a single season for a comedy. And having seen almost all of the TV programs that won, I can definitely say that every winner was deserving and I was not surprised to see that Succession and Watchmen blitz the evening as well because they were easily two of my favourite TV programs of the year. 
And just in case you missed them, here are the nominations and winners of the 2020 Emmy Awards:
Outstanding comedy series

• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Dead to Me
• The Good Place
• Insecure
• The Kominsky Method
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• WINNER: Schitt's Creek
• What We Do in the Shadows

Outstanding drama series

• Better Call Saul
• The Crown
• The Handmaid's Tale
• Killing Eve
• The Mandalorian
• Ozark
• Stranger Things
• WINNER: Succession

Outstanding limited series

• Little Fires Everywhere
• Mrs. America
• Unbelievable
• Unorthodox
• WINNER: Watchmen

Lead actor in a comedy series

• Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
• Don Cheadle, Black Monday
• Ted Danson, The Good Place
• Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
• WINNER: Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Lead actress in a comedy series

• Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
• Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
• Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
• WINNER: Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek
• Issa Rae, Insecure
• Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Supporting actor in a comedy series

• Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
• Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
• Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Mahershala Ali, Ramy
• Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
• WINNER: Dan Levy, Schitt's Creek

Supporting actress in a comedy series

• Betty Gilpin, GLOW
• D'Arcy Carden, The Good Place
• Yvonne Orji, Insecure
• Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
• Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
• WINNER: Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek

Lead actor in a drama series

• Jason Bateman, Ozark
• Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
• Steve Carell, The Morning Show
• Brian Cox, Succession
• Billy Porter, Pose
• WINNER: Jeremy Strong, Succession

Lead actress in a drama series

• Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
• Olivia Colman, The Crown
• Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
• Laura Linney, Ozark
• Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
• WINNER: Zendaya, Euphoria

Supporting actor in a drama series

• Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
• Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
• WINNER: Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
• Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
• Nicholas Braun, Succession
• Kieran Culkin, Succession
• Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
• Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Supporting actress in a drama series

• Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
• Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
• Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
• Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale
• Fiona Shaw , Killing Eve
• WINNER: Julia Garner, Ozark
• Sarah Snook, Succession
• Thandie Newton, Westworld

Lead actor in a limited series or movie

• Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
• Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
• Paul Mescal, Normal People
• Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
• WINNER: Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Lead actress in a limited series or movie

• Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
• Shira Haas, Unorthodox
• WINNER: Regina King, Watchmen
• Octavia Spencer, Self Made
• Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

Supporting actor in a limited series or movie

• Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
• Jim Parsons, Hollywood
• Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
• WINNER: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
• Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
• Louis Gossett Jr, Watchmen

Supporting actress in a limited series or movie

• Holland Taylor, Hollywood
• WINNER: Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
• Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
• Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
• Toni Collette, Unbelievable
• Jean Smart, Watchmen

Outstanding reality competition series

• The Masked Singer
• Nailed It
• WINNER: RuPaul's Drag Race
• Top Chef
• The Voice

Outstanding variety talk series

• Daily Show with Trevor Noah
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• WINNER: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Outstanding variety sketch series

• A Black Lady Sketch Show
• Drunk History
• WINNER: Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Television movie

• American Son
• WINNER: Bad Education
• Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones
• El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Writing for a comedy series

• WINNER: Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek
• David West Read, Schitt's Creek
• Michael Schur, The Good Place
• Tony McNamara, The Great
• Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil, What We Do In The Shadows
• Paul Simms, What We Do In The Shadows
• Stefani Robinson, What We Do In The Shadows

Writing for a drama series

• Thomas Schnauz, Better Call Saul
• Thomas Schnauz,
• Gordon Smith, Better Call Saul
• Peter Morgan, The Crown
• Chris Mundy, Ozark
• John Shiban, Ozark
• Miki Johnso, Ozark
• WINNER: Jesse Armstrong, Succession

Writing for a limited series, movie or drama

• Tanya Barfield, Mrs. America
• Sally Rooney and Alice Birch, Normal People
• Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon, Unbelievable
• Anna Winger, Unorthodox
• WINNER: Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson, Watchmen

Director for a comedy series

• Matt Shakman, The Great
• Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Daniel Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Gail Mancuso, Modern Family • Finale Part 2
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy
• WINNER: Andrew Cividino and Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek
• James Burrows, Will & Grace

Directing for a drama series

• Benjamin Caron, The Crown
• Jessica Hobbs, The Crown
• Lesli Linka Glatter, Homeland
• Mimi Leder, The Morning Show Mimi Leder,
• Alik Sakharov, Ozark
• Ben Semanoff, Ozark
• WINNER: Andrij Parekh, Succession
• Mark Mylod, Succession

Directing for a limited series

• Lynn Shelton, Little Fires Everywhere
• Lenny Abrahamson, Normal People
• WINNER: Maria Schrader, Unorthodox
• Nicole Kassell, Watchmen
• Steph Green, Watchmen
• Stephen Williams, Watchmen

ENOLA HOLMES 
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M
Running Time: 123 mins 
A crime/mystery period film based on the first book in the series of the same name by Nancy Springer which focuses on the adventures of Enola Holmes, teenage sister of already famous crime investigator Sherlock Holmes. Enola Holmes was distributed by Netflix streaming services when they acquired the rights for distribution from Warner Bros. because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Raised to be carefree and headstrong by her free spirited mother, teenager Enola Holmes becomes distressed when her mother goes missing in the middle of the night without explanation. An attempt to enlist the help of her two older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft proves disastrous, so Enola takes matters into her own hands and sets off to discover what happened to her mother for herself. 
I cannot deny that Millie Bobby Brown breathes some much needed fresh air into Baker Street with her effervescent and energic portrayal of Enola and she is definitely what makes this movie so delightful and enjoyable. She is however extremely well supported by Henry Cavill as Sherlock, Sam Claflin as Mycroft and Helena Bonham Carter as the mother of them all Eudoria Holmes. 
There is an infectious and intoxicating teenage energy to this movie that I really loved and I do hope that we will get to see further instalments of this series in the future. 
FINAL SAY: Sometimes you must dangle your feet in the water in order to attract the sharks. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

You can't really be alive on the planet at the moment and not feel somewhat affected by the threat of the Coronavirus aka COVID -19. Even if you haven't yet gone all gung ho and stock piled enough toilet paper to ensure that you have a clean and dry arse until 2030 or smuggled away enough beans, rice, pasta and dry stock provisions for at least a month of basic apocalyptic cuisine, you'll still be feeling the rising concern and now unignorable reality that we are indeed facing a pandemic that is going to pose a serious threat to people with compromised immune systems, chronic health disorders and of course the very young, old and at risk members of our communities. 
Scary stuff, and something that no-one on the planet today has ever actually experienced before, because not only is the Coronavirus different from any other pandemic that we have seen before, but also due to our level of worldwide connection and travel demands, we are spreading it around at an alarming and seemingly uncontrollable rate.  
The last and most deadly pandemic that we faced was The Spanish Flu of 1918, which infected one third of the world's population. It caused somewhere between 20-50 million deaths, and although we have seen many other smaller scale pandemics since then, we have never faced something that has infected every continent of the globe (except the Antarctic) at such a ferocious rate. And this is why governments are now scrambling to work out a way to contain the spread as fast as possible. Hence the threat of a potential home lockdown for many parts of the world. 
At the moment, there are 147,000 reported cases of COVID-19 across the world, with 5,539 deaths. Shops, businesses, schools and non-essential public areas are closing in the US and France. Flights and travel has been restricted across the globe. Areas of Spain, China, Italy, Denmark, Norway, UK and Ireland have already started lockdown procedures with their citizens to inhibit the spread of infection. In short, this shit is getting real and pretty hard to ignore, even for the most cynical, flippant or suspicious people.
So what to do? Run screaming into the night and declare that it is the end of the world as we know it? Well, you could do that if you were a nutter, but if you really want to be proactive about it, here is my advice based on what I have read thus far about COVID-19.

• Stay calm - experts predict that 80% of the population won't require any or minimal medical care, so odds are you're going to be just fine.
• Minimise the stress to yourself by only having daily updates - find a reputable COVID -19 news and information page that you can check on once a day to stay abreast of developments and recommendations. 
• If you feel sick, don't go to work. Self quarantine for 14 days and avoid public spaces. 
• Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly when you have been in public spaces, use hand sanitizer when you enter your home, practice good personal hygiene, and try not to touch your face. 
• Practise social distance - 6 feet from others. No handshaking and use your elbow or hip to turn on switches, open elevators, turn door handles etc. 
• Each time you shop, add a couple of basic non-perishable items to your trolley. Aim to have a couple of weeks of food basics on hand at home just in case you are asked to go into lockdown. Consider any personal sanitary items,  pet supplies and medications that you may also require if you were in a lockdown situation and pre purchase wisely. Please note that a two week supply of food would never constitute 100 rolls of toilet paper, 30 packets of rice and 50 cans of tuna, so please be sensible and considerate when you are increasing your supplies. There are people out there that are really going to need certain items and taking them all is not only ridiculous but also extremely dangerous to the health and wellbeing of others, so shop with care and consideration.
• Do not watch the movie Contagion or the TV show Pandemic if you are already feeling really anxious about COVID-19. Not only are these programs un-directly related to our current reality in so many ways, they will only serve to send already vulnerable minds into an unnecessary tailspin.
• Look after yourself, rest well, eat well and above all else - stay calm. 

On top of watching way too many movies, I also watch an awful lot of television. And just like movies, I like to watch all kinds of genres of television as well. And yes, of course I have to wade through a lot of crappy TV viewings in my pursuit of quality. I cannot even begin to tell you about the hundreds of unfinished TV series that I have started but never actually got around to finishing because they just weren't good enough to hold my attention.
I am just as fussy about what I watch on television as I am when it comes to movies and that's mainly because I have to be discerning. Just one season of television can require anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to get through, so if I am going to invest in something then it had better be worth the effort.  
Fortunately, there are TV series that are so good that they can hold my interest for more than just one season, for many of them in fact, for years and years, and they are the ones that I seriously lament when they end. In short,  they are unmissable TV experiences. I'm talking about the kinds of TV series that I find myself talking about for years after I have watched them, and I have been fortunate enough to see quite a few absolutely brilliant television series that I would consider to be absolutely unmissable.  
I have made a list below of the TV series that I consider to be the best viewing experiences (so far). They are listed in no particular order because everything on this list is excellent and worthy of your viewing time. Some of these series are old, but they have stood the test of time and in my opinion, they are still worth hunting down and seeing if you missed them during their glory days. I couldn't even hazard a guess at how many hours it would take to get through this lists...hundreds, maybe thousands I would imagine, but I assure you that I did have hundreds of joyous hours watching them all when I saw them. 
I hope that you find something new to watch from my recommendations, happy viewing!

Drama:
The Sopranos 
Six Feet Under 
Breaking Bad
Mad Men
Deadwood
Girls
Big Little Lies 
Better Call Saul
Master of None
Succession
Nurse Jackie 
Enlightened
Making a Murderer
Transparent
Mozart in the Jungle 
Peaky Blinders
Mr Inbetween 
Killing Eve
This is England 
Ozark
​
Comedy:
​Atlanta
Broad City 
The IT Crowd
Fleabag
Psychoville
Parks and Recreation
Derek
Kath and Kim 
The Good Place 
Absolutely Fabulous
The Office (British version)  
Black Books
The Inbetweeners
Sally 4eva
Barry 
Seinfeld
Awkwafina is Nora From Queens 
The Detectorists
The Kominsky Method
The Community
Extras
Flight of the Conchords
Gavin and Stacey
Workaholics
The Let Down
​Schitt's Creek 
This Country 
Bad Move 
Arrested Development
Please Like Me
The Righteous Gemstones 
Nighty Night 
Moone Boy
The Last O.G.
SMILF
Raised by Wolves
Uncle 
Better Things
​Swedish Dicks 
Avenue 5
Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet
Dave 

Sci-Fi/ Fantasy:
Firefly 
Mr Robot
Britannia 
Game of Thrones
The Dark Crystal
Lost 
Inside No. 9 
Black Mirror
Dr Who 
Stranger Things 
American Gods
Doom Patrol 
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Watchmen
Dirk Gently
The Magicians
Devs
Forever 
The ​Mandalorian 
The X Files  

Art House:
Dispatches from Elsewhere 
​Twin Peaks
Kidding
Carnivale
​Perpetual Grace 
The Mighty Boosh

Horror/ Horror-Comedy:
American Horror Story 
Ash vs Evil Dead  (HC)
Penny Dreadful
Santa Clarita Diet  (HC)
Castle Rock
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 
Marianne 
Preacher (HC)
What We Do In The Shadows (HC)
The Servant 
Black Summer
Wellington Paranormal  (HC)

Outstanding Limited Series:
The Night Of (Drama) 
Lambs of God (Drama) 
Unbelievable (Crime) 
Sharp Objects (Crime)
Godless (Drama)
Escape from Dannemora (Drama)
Love, Death and Robots (Sci-fi) 
Chernobyl (Drama) 
Problems (Comedy) 
Trust (Drama)
A Young Doctor's Notebook (Drama) 
When They See Us (Drama) 
One Strange Rock (Documentary) 
The Act (Drama)
Good Omens (Fantasy)
The Miracle (Fantasy/ Foreign) 
True Detective Season 1 (Crime) 
Patrick Melrose (Drama)
Alias Grace (Drama)
Maniac (Sci-fi) 
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (Documentary) 
Les Miserable (Period Drama) 
Feud: Bette and Joan (Drama)
John Safran's Music Jamboree (Documentary) 
John Safran vs God (Documentary) 

So, the 2020 Golden Globe Nominations have been announced, which will pretty much dictate what I will be watching over my summer break. Yep, I am going to be hitting the couch and the cinema pretty hard over the next few weeks so that I can watch the actual Golden Globe Awards Ceremony live on Arena on January 6th and have some understanding of the content that has been nominated.
As an avid movie addict, I do feel very compelled to see at least 75% of everything nominated before an event of this calibre occurs in order for me to be discerning about whether a movie/program is worthy of the win or not. 
This year there is some really great news for those of you out there that don't like to go the cinema very often because quite a number of the nominated films and television programs are actually available through various streaming networks (which I have indicated below for your viewing ease) which means that you can watch a good swag of them from the comfort of your own couch in preparation for the big event. 
I cannot deny that there does appear to be a couple of incredibly great movies and television series that have been snubbed from the lists here, but this happens every year and I will get around to sharing my personal top pics of the year list very soon, so let's just go with what's been nominated here, and I will talk more about my personal choices for the best of 2019 in the very near future.
So, without further ado, here are the 2020 Golden Globe Nominations - happy viewing!
Best Motion Picture — Drama
1917
The Irishman - Netflix
Joker
Marriage Story - Netflix
The Two Popes - Netflix
Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Dolemite Is My Name -  Netflix
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Rocketman
Best Foreign-Language Motion Picture
The Farewell
Les Misérables 
Pain and Glory 
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Limited Series or TV Movie
Catch-22 - Stan
Chernobyl - HBO
Fosse/Verdon - HBO
The Loudest Voice - Showtime
Unbelievable - Netflix
Best Television Series — Drama
Big Little Lies - HBO
The Crown - Netflix
Killing Eve -  ABC iview or Stan
The Morning Show
Succession - HBO
Best Comedy Series
Fleabag - Amazon Prime
Barry - HBO
The Kominsky Method - Netflix
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Amazon Prime
The Politician - Netflix
Best Motion Picture — Animated
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
The Lion King
Best Director — Motion Picture
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Todd Phillips, Joker
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Christopher Abbott, Catch-22
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy
Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris, Chernobyl
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable
Joey King, The Act - Hulu 
Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great - Foxtel
Merritt Wever, Unbelievable
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl
Henry Winkler, Barry
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie
Patricia Arquette, The Act 
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Best Score for a Motion Picture
Little Women
Joker
Marriage Story
1917
Motherless Brooklyn
Best Original Song
“Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen II
“Spirit,” The Lion King
“Stand Up,” Harriet
Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method - Netflix
Bill Hader, Barry - HBO
Ben Platt, The Politician - Netflix
Paul Rudd, Living With Yourself - Netflix
Ramy Youssef, Ramy - Stan
Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me - Netflix
Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida -  SBS
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Amazon Prime
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll - Netflix
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag - Amazon Prime
Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox, Succession - HBO
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones - Foxtel
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot - HBO
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Billy Porter, Pose -Foxtel
Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show - Apple TV+
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture 
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Screenplay
Marriage Story
Parasite
The Two Popes
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Annette Bening, The Report
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Daniel Craig, Knives Out
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Ana de Armas, Knives Out
Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart
Emma Thompson, Late Night
Awkwafina, The Farewell
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy

As if on cue, the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards happened on Monday at 10am. This was extremely fortuitous for me on so many levels. First and foremostly, I am currently on spring break which meant that I could be glued to the TV and watch it all unfold in real time, huge bloody bonus! And on top of that, my car was in for major repairs which meant that I was truly and genuinely housebound anyway, so winner, winner - the TV Gods spoke and I got to camp on the couch for three uninterrrupted hours straight without any guilty feelings whatsoever.
For a TV and movie addict, this was a very pleasant way to kick off my spring break and I must say that I was in total agreeance with the chosen winners in each category and highly recommend all of the TV series that won awards this year. Television just continues to go from strength to strength, and never before has TV ever been this consistently good. The Emmy award line up this year was staggeringly great and I don't think that the competition has ever been this fiercely competitive. All of the series nominated were really high quality which just galvanises the fact that television is better than it has ever been before. 
For anyone that missed all of the glitz, glamour and excitement, I have of course got you covered! Here is a list of the very deserving nominees and winners (in bold) for each category:
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us

Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry
Fleabag
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)
Billy Porter (Pose)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)
Laura Linney (Ozark)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Stephen Root (Barry)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg (Barry)
Sian Clifford (Fleabag)
Olivia Colman (Fleabag)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Barry “ronny/lily”
Fleabag “Episode 1”
PEN15 “Anna Ishii-Peters”
Russian Doll “Nothing In This World Is Easy”
Russian Doll “A Warm Body”
The Good Place “Janet(s)”
Veep “Veep”

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Barry “The Audition”
Barry “ronny/lily”
Fleabag “Episode 1”
The Big Bang Theory “Stockholm Syndrome”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “All Alone”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “We’re Going To The Catskills!”

Outstanding Comedy Actor
Bill Hader (Barry)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)

Outstanding Comedy Actress
Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Outstanding Competition Series
American Ninja Warrior
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Nailed It!
The Amazing Race
The Voice
Top Chef

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Emily Watson (Chernobyl)
Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects)
Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us)
Vera Farmiga (When They See Us)
Patricia Arquette (The Act)
Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A Very English Scandal
Chernobyl
Escape At Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon “Glory”
Fosse/Verdon “Who’s Got The Pain”
When They See Us

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
Stellan Skarsgard (Chernobyl)
Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora)
John Leguizamo (When They See Us)
Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)
Asante Blackk (When They See Us)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A Very English Scandal
Chernobyl
Escape At Dannemora “Episode 6”
Escape At Dannemora “Episode 7”
Fosse/Verdon “Providence”
When They See Us “Part Four”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Mahershala Ali (True Detective)
Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)
Benicio del Toro (Escape At Dannemora)
Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)
Jared Harris (Chernobyl)
Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us)

Outstanding Television Movie
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Deadwood
Brexit
King Lear
My Dinner With Hervé

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)
Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)
Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)
Joey King (The Act)
Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)
Niecy Nash (When They See Us)

Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Documentary Now!
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
Saturday Night Live
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman
Saturday Night Live
Who Is America?
At Home With Amy Sedaris

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Documentary Now! “Waiting For The Artist”
Drunk History “Are You Afraid Of The Drunk?”
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver “Psychics”
Saturday Night Live “Host: Adam Sandler”
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert “Live Midterm Election Show”
Who Is America? “Episode 102”

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Better Call Saul “Winner”
Bodyguard “Episode 1”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Nice And Neat”
Succession “Nobody Is Ever Missing”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Game of Thrones “The Last Of The Starks”
Game of Thrones “The Long Night”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Desperate Times”
Ozark “Reparations”
Succession “Celebration”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly"

Being a movie blog, it was hard for me to find a film to attach to this post, but after some consideration I decided to go with Paris is Burning in tribute to this year's Outstanding Competition Television series winner - RuPaul's Drag Race, which was clearly influenced by this outstanding and informative must-see documentary.

PARIS IS BURNING
Release Date: 1990
Rating: M
Running Time: 71 mins
Ever wondered where Madonna got her idea for Vogue? And where RuPaul got his 'fierce' drag competition ideas? Well look no further, because Paris is Burning will answer all those questions and more.  
An American documentary, directed by Jennie Livingston, that chronicles the drag ball culture of the mid to late 80's in New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay and transgender communities involved. This invaluable documentary shines a spotlight on the Golden Age of New York City drag balls and offers a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender and sexuality in America during the 80's. 
​Elaborately structured drag ball competitions offer contestants the opportunity to 'walk' and be judged on their 'realness' by prominent members of the scene who have established 'houses' that serve as intentional families, social groups and performance teams.
Through a series of ball footage reels and interviews with prominent members, we gain an intimate and insightful understanding of the struggles, strengths, pride and humour that exists within this colourful subculture. 
This is an intelligent, at times troubling, but also desperately hopeful piece that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.
FINAL SAY: It is so obvious that if you have captured the great white way of living, or looking, or dressing, or speaking - you is a marvel.
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

One of the things that I do enjoy most about a mid-winter break is the ability to catch up on some late night viewing and couch potato antics without any guilty feelings whatsoever. Not having to get up and go to work in the morning allows me to indulge in the pleasure of watching entire seasons of television programs and back to back movies, and honestly it is just heaven. With a good strong coffee in hand, a couple of fluffed up pillows and a cosy blanket, I have managed to wonderfully while away many of my holiday evenings in front of the idiot box and I am more than happy to share my joyful at home viewing highlights with you, should you also wish to indulge in some quality lounge room viewing. 

As far as television goes, there has been no shortage of high quality, engaging programming to get completely lost in this year. I have watched a tonne of television this year, more than I ever have before and a lot of it has been of a really high standard as well. The best that I have seen and would highly recommend so far this year are: (in no particular order) 
Escape at Dannemora (Stan) - dramatisation
Sally 4Ever (HBO - Foxtel) - comedy
After Life (Netflix) - comedy drama
Les Miserables (BBC - Foxtel) - period drama
Game of Thrones - S8 (HBO - Foxtel) - fantasy drama
American Gods S2 (Amazon Prime) - fantasy drama
What We Do in the Shadows (FX - Foxtel) - horror comedy 
This Country (Stan) - comedy mockumentary 
Forever (Amazon Prime) - fantasy drama
Killing Eve s2 (ABC iview) - crime drama
The Last O.G. S2 (Stan) - comedy 
The Let Down S2 (ABC iview) - comedy 
Bad Omens (Amazon Prime) - fantasy drama
Detectorists S3 (ABC iview)  - comedy 
Gentleman Jack (HBO - Foxtel) - period drama
Bridget & Eamon (Amazon Prime) - comedy 
Euphoria (HBO - Foxtel) - drama
Chernobyl (HBO - Foxtel) - dramatisation 
The Act: Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose (Hulu - Foxtel) - dramatisation 
Perpetual Grace (Stan) - art house 
Big Little Lies S2 (HBO - Foxtel) - drama
Stranger Things S3 (Netflix)  - science fiction

To be honest, quality movies to view at home have been a little thinner on the ground, but it is often quite hard for me to find things that I haven't already seen on streaming channels because I go to the movies so often. Seth and I have been trawling through a lot of classic horror, which SBS on demand has an excellent selection of, should you need to sate a yearning for retro horror like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Hellraiser or Scanners. Aside from that Amazon Prime has the largest B grade horror library that I have ever encountered, admittedly it is mostly shit, but you can find the odd retro gem in there as well like Night of the Living Dead, Carrie,  Zombieland and the Friday the 13th Series. 
However, without further ado, here is a list of the best movies that I have watched on the couch (not at the cinema) this year so far: (again listed in no particular order)
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool - Netflix (Romance) 
It's Actually a Funny Story - Netflix (Drama)
Suspiria - Amazon Prime (Horror) 
Hush - Netflix (Horror) 
Tully - Netflix (Drama)
The Poughkeepsie Tapes - Stan (Gritty) 
Observance - Amazon Prime (Horror)
American Animals - Foxtel (Crime) 
I am Mother - Netflix (Sci-Fi) 
Pin Cushion - SBS on demand (Gritty) 
Mandy - Foxtel (Horror) 
Full reviews of all of these films can be found on the corresponding genre lists in the drop down menu above if you're looking for more information.
Happy viewing my friends! 

I have just reached the halfway point of my Autumn holiday break; the time has gone so fast and man oh man, I have been so damn productive! I'm actually pretty chuffed about how much I have managed to get done and genuinely pleased with my consistent efforts to use my time wisely. I've been ticking boxes like a boss, catching up on all of my 'to do' tasks and generally taking care of business in a way that I can't usually manage when I am working and it's been bloody amazing!
In the last 7 days I have serviced my car, been to the dentist, seen the doctor, had a stay in hospital to get something corrected that I've put off for way too long, caught up with my parents, hung out with my kids, had my eyebrows done and my hair trimmed, celebrated a friends birthday, gone to the movies (twice actually), checked out the Picasso collection at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, completed an online PD module, finally put all of my New Zealand holiday photos into an album, planned my Easter Sunday gathering and even spent some time drawing and painting. Phew!
Next week I have another art gallery visit, a few blood tests, a catch up with some friends, an overnight trip to Queenscliff, Craig's birthday and also Easter to wrangle; basically a walk in the park after last week's mammoth effort. I am hoping that there will be some room for at least one more decent sleep in before it all comes to an end!
I'm also quite proud of the fact that even though my usual routine has been totally thrown out of the window, I've not compromised on my daily yoga practises, walks, meditation, reading, podcast listening, TV binging or movie watching over the holiday period. I have read almost three books in 10 days and faithfully watched at least one film a day since I went on holidays over a week ago. For some unknown reason a large majority of those films have unintentionally been horror movies, but as a huge horror fan this has presented me with some surprisingly enjoyable viewings.
When it comes to TV, like 95% of the rest of the world, I am most excited about Game of Thrones returning tomorrow to kick off the final and most anticipated TV episodes of all time; which I fully intend to faithfully glue myself to the couch for every Monday evening, for the duration. I can't recall a time when I was so looking forward to a TV show returning before, and I suppose that's because we really don't have to wait for programs to come out that often anymore.
G.O.T. has been an 8 season, 9 year viewing commitment, which is rare even for an avid viewer like myself. The last show that I faithfully watched without missing an episode for 9 entire seasons was Seinfeld which ended in 1998, so yeah, it's been a while since I've been this committed to a TV show. Apparently if you watch the first 7 seasons of G.O.T. all up, it would take two days, 15 hours and 30 minutes, which is how much of my life I have given to the show so far, and clearly I am willing to offer even more! Even though I often tire of a lot of long winded TV series, G.O.T. hasn't worn me out yet, so bring it on I say! I am ready for all of the scandal, dragons,  and visceral goings on that Season 8 can deliver, and if any of the other seasons are something to go on, there is definitely going to be some surprises in store!

There are some actors that I just can't get enough of. Every time that I see them in a trailer for an upcoming movie I get really excited because I am enthralled by their talent, dedication, diversity and onscreen presence. Some actors just can't put a foot wrong in my mind, they always give 100% and they never seem to be cast in crappy pointless movies, but sometimes I wonder if it is just their presence that makes a movie a winner for me.
I believe that on some occasions that certainly may have been true, particularly if I am only interested in the actor from a pervy perspective. Hey, don't judge me, I am human, I know a super hot actor when I see one, but the super hot actors (Michael Fassbender you know that I am talking about you!) aren't always in great movies, in fact they are often cast in pretty shitty movies quite a lot. I almost walked out of Assassin's Creed (almost) and if Fassbender hadn't been shirtless for 70% of that film, I definitely would've left!
However, I digress, what I am trying to say is that the actors that really have me riveted to my seat during a film are actually not the 'hot' ones, they are the ones that have the most stage presence. The actors that I feel an emotional connection to when they are on screen are the actors that I want to see more of, and there are quite a few of them that I just can't get enough of.
Here is my list of the top ten best actors (that I just can't get enough of) who are still on screen at the moment. 
1. Michael Shannon: He always plays such a nasty bad guy and  such a sweet good guy, I just love his intensity so much. 
First love moment: the good advice older brother in Mud. 
Favourite Shannon role: the creepy weirdo in Bug.
2. Kate Winslet: She is a gorgeous creature and a super talent. I adore her British accent and her advocacy of 'less photoshop more realism' for famous women. 
First love moment: Hugging a deshevilled and red dress clad Harvey Keitel in the back of a ute in Holy Smoke.
Favorite Winslet role: Her confused gorgeousness in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 
3. Mahershala Ali: I can not look away when this man is on screen, he just demands attention and I am happy to give it to him.
First love moment: The unlikely drug dealing father figure in Moonlight. 
Favourite Ali  role: The uptight pianist in Green Book. 
4. Olivia Colman: I loved her way back when she was Sophie in Peep Show, and she has just gone from strength to strength since then. 
First love moment: The achingly damaged charity shop worker in Tyrannosaur.
Favourite Colman role: The clueless queen in The Favourite. 
5. Sarah Paulson: Paulson is easily the one of the best things about AHS and one of the reasons that I am so hooked on the series. I adore her beauty and her unwavering commitment to non-conformity and self empowerment for women.
First love moment: Tortured and enduring wife of Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave. 
Favourite Paulson role: Gorgeous ex-love of Mark Duplass in Blue Jay.
6. Timothee Chalamet: Okay, I admit he is young and gorgeous, but he is also extremely talented and he has so much range for such a young actor. That chiselled face, I cannot look away and I don't want to!
First love moment: His first love summer in Call Me By Your Name. 
Favourite Chalamet role: His heartbreaking drug addicted arse in Beautiful Boy. 
7. Sam Rockwell: So much swag and talent in such a small guy. He is insidious, he is in absolutely everything and does all genres well; he is always terrific. 
First love moment: His solo space-capades in Moon.
Favourite Rockwell role: The racist, angry and volatile cop in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
8. Octavia Spencer: Charming, this women is so damn charming and her smile makes me feel so happy. She is super talent and an inspiration to plus sized women everywhere. 
First love moment: 'Eat my Shit' Minny in The Help. 
Favourite Spencer role: Brilliant African American NASA lady in Hidden Figures.
9. Amy Adams: Why is this woman not drowning in accolades? She is clearly one of the best actresses of her generation, she can do no wrong in mind. 
First love moment: Gorgeous double crossing grifter in American Hustle.
Favourite Adams role: Alien conversationalist in Arrival.
10. Paul Dano: Recently blew my mind in Escape at Dannemora, Dano always brings something memorable and noteworthy to the screen. 
First love moment: Dealing with Daniel Day Lewis' milkshake rant in There Will be Blood. 
Favourite Dano role: Love inventor in Ruby Sparks. 

Who are your favourite actors? Leave your comments below, I'd love to know who you love to watch. 

That time has rolled around again, the time for me to collate all of my viewing efforts and put forward my recommendations for the best viewing choices of 2018. As I have mentioned before, quality television really dominated my time this year and I gave more 5 Chilli Pepper ratings to TV series than I gave to movies this year. To be honest, overall I do feel that the quality of movies this year was not as strong as it was in 2017, and I feel like I watched a lot more mediocre movies than I did last year as well, but sometimes that happens. 
In total I viewed 253 movies in 2018 and 133 TV series (some of which had several seasons). I have watched programs across every genre, and I can honestly say that there were excellent offerings in all of those genres in both movies and television. This year I am not going to list my least favorite viewings for 2018 because I have made myself a new years resolution to be more positive and to not focus on the negative things, so to list the worst things I saw in 2018 would be counterproductive to that resolution. Besides, as I have said before, even if I didn't love it, doesn't mean that someone else won't or that it is rubbish. At the end of the day, even the movies that we don't really enjoy have required a lot of time, money and effort to be produced; to shit on someone else's dream or vision is a pretty lousy thing to do, so I am choosing not to go there. 
I hope that you find something on these lists that you have not seen yet and can hopefully now explore. For full reviews of all of the recommended movies below, just go to the appropriate genre tab at the top of the page.
So without any further ado, here are my TOP MOVIE CHOICES (2018 release):  

• ROMA - Foreign 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Hereditary - Horror 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Beautiful Boy - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Isle of Dogs - Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• BlacKkKlannsman  - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
• A Star in Born - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
• The Tale - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Paddington 2 - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Avengers: Infinity War -  Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Upgrade - Science Fiction/ Action 4 Chilli Peppers  
• John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• A Quiet Place - Sci-Fi/ Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Annihilation - Sci-Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Black Panther - Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Ready Player One - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• The Breaker Upperers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Searching - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Game Night - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Love, Simon - Romance 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Bohemian Rhapsody - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
• Blockers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers

Here are my top recommendations for pre- 2018 releases that I didn't see until 2018: 

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame)
• Bright Star - Romance 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Wind River - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
• Good Time - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
• The Shape of Water - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Coco - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Mudbound - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
• Call Me by Your Name  - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Ingrid Goes West - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
• Beasts of No Nation - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
• The Tunnel - Foreign 4 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES of 2018: 

• Master of None S2 - Comedy/ Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
• One Strange Rock - Documentary 5 Chilli Peppers
• Atlanta S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
• Sharp Objects - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
• Patrick Melrose - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
• Kidding - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Who is America? - Comedy/ Documentary 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Here and Now - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Maniac - Sci-Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers
• Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events S2 - Fantasy/ Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Mosaic - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
• The End of the Fucking World S1 - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
• Dirk Gently S2 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers
• Barry S1 - Crime/ Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
• AHS - Apocalypse - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
• Mr Inbetween - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers
• Just Another Immigrant - Comedy  4 Chilli Peppers
• Mr Mercedes S1 - Crime  4 Chilli Peppers
• Wanderlust - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
• The Miracle - Foreign  4 Chilli Peppers
• Anne with an E S2 - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Britannia S1 - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Ash vs Evil Dead S3 - Horror/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Swedish Dicks S2 - Comedy/ Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Future Man - Sci-Fi/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• GLOW S2 - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• The Detectorists S2 - Comedy/ Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• Wellington Paranormal - Horror/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
• The Kominsky Method - Drama/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

I absolutely love podcasts. I have a number of shows in my podcast library on my phone that I regularly listen to. Just like the recent rise in accessible quality television, podcasts are fast following suit with a wider variety of entertaining shows becoming available daily and I have become pretty hooked on a number of them.
Cooking, cleaning, gardening or even exercising, I find that even the most menial  and mundane of tasks can be elevated to enjoyable if you have a good podcast to tune into whilst you are doing it, and I wanted to share some of my very favourite finds with you all. 
First and foremost I think that I need to list my fave movie/TV podcasts, because I do like to stay ahead of what is being released and what looks worthy of a trip to the cinema to see, and these podcasts are my go-to's on the subject of quality viewing:

• The EMPIRE Film Podcast
• WHO Magazine's TV Binge List 
• Man vs Movies
• Mad About Movies
• Film Junk

Next are my 'Feel Good' podcast faves, which offer me motivation, inspiration and stimulation when I am feeling like I need a lift:

• Dear Sugars
• Something Amazing
• Your Own Magic
• Mind, Body Musings
• LET IT OUT
• All in the Mind
• Happier with Gretchen Rubin
• Mindfully
• The Lively Show
• The Pineapple Project
• The Good People Effect
• Beautiful Anonymous
• Ladies We Need to Talk
• Meditation Oasis
• Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Here are my favourite 'Freak Me Out' podcasts, which can be supernatural, crime or just plain weird, but I do like a good freaky tale from time to time:

• Lore
• The Other Stories
• Something Scary 
• Unravel True Crime

And lastly, but certainly not least are my fave comedy podcasts because we all need a good laugh from time to time:

• My Dad Wrote a Porno
• Comedy of the Week - BBC Radio 4
• The Cracked Podcast
• Conan O'Brien Needs  a Friend

So there you have it, my favourite regular podcasts, I hope that you can find something inspiring to listen to yourself, and if you have any amazing recommendations please let me know.
Honestly, with you would think that I wouldn't have time to squeeze in any movies with all of the podcast listening that I do, but trust me, I still do!

Had a much needed day out with Zoe and Seth in the city yesterday. We meandered the streets of Melbourne for hours, stopping in at some of our favourite haunts and taking in all of the sights, sounds and smells of the big city environment. Melbourne is somewhere that I love to visit regularly because it doesn't matter how many times you go, there is always something new to discover and the shopping is always fantastic.
We hit up Lush for bath bombs, Haigh's for chocolate and Daiso for some random Asian goodies because those places are an absolute must for us when we go to Melbourne, and then we headed over to Chinatown for a huge teppanyaki feast for lunch which did involve Seth getting most of an omelette tossed into his face from our very cheeky chef. It was quite amusing for us, but not so amusing for Seth who was showered in hot egg pieces that were being flung straight off the steaming teppanyaki grill at his head, but it was all just part of the fun and no real harm was done.
We ended our fabulous day out exploring the Alice in Wonderland exhibition that is currently showing at ACMI, which was a feast for the senses and a real treat for me since I am such a massive Alice in Wonderland fan. The highlight of the exhibition was definitely the Mad Hatter's Tea Party where you entered a room and sat down for a 'virtual' seat at the Hatter's table. Cakes magically appeared on plates and virtual tea poured into cups as we sat amid the butterflies in the mushroom forest. It was pretty exciting and the kids that were sitting near to us were so delighted and enthralled by the scene that it was impossible to not get swept up in the magic of it all, I mean when do you ever get to attend a real Mad Hatter's Tea Party? 
In spite of the cold, wet and blustery weather trying to keep us at bay, we all had a great day out and managed to dodge the Melbourne showers as we went about our business. Today however, has been a completely different story with the rain completely overtaking our Sunday and forcing us all indoors and close to the heater. It has probably been the wettest day of the holidays so far, but I am not complaining because a day of curling up on the couch with Netflix is never a bad day in my mind.
I have managed to binge watch a couple of TV series and watch quite a lot of movies over the break so far. I am slowly making my way through my 'to see' list, which mainly consists of long and gritty movies that I haven't got the time or the mental stamina to deal with during the term. Here's one of my favourite viewings so far these holidays, but as I said, it's long and gritty, so do see it, but only when you're in the right frame of mind to do so, it's tough going.

BEASTS OF NO NATION
Release Date: 2015
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 137 mins
A gritty war drama written, co-produced and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga who also acted as his own cinematographer during filming. Based on the novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation comes on strong with it's striking and horrific depiction of a young boy who becomes a ruthless child soldier. 
Young Agu's Ghanaian village is torn apart when rebel and government forces begin fighting in the streets. His mother and sister flee for safety, his father and brother are murdered and Agu escapes capture by hiding in the jungle. He is found by a ruthless militia group that operate under a vicious commander (Idris Elba) and after undergoing a brutal initiation process he becomes a fully-fledged member and begins his transformation from boy to soldier. 
This is a sobering and uncompromising look at the human cost of war and the exploitation of the innocent and desperate. Idris Elba deservingly won a SAG award for his unforgettable and disturbingly good portrayal of the opportunistic sadist commander, and I am genuinely confused about why he didn't get an Oscar nomination that year as well. All of the child performances are amazingly good, especially Abraham Nii Attah who portrays Agu's transformation perfectly and was awarded the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. 
Beasts of No Nation is by no means an easy watch, but it is most definitely a worthy one. 
FINAL SAY: I saw terrible things....and I did terrible things. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of television series that are being offered this year. As it is I have an outrageous backlog of movies to catch up on, but now it seems like I also have a never ending amount of television episodes to catch up on as well. There is not nearly enough hours in the day now for me to get around to seeing everything that I want to see, I would have to take all of my long service leave and then spend it with my arse bolted to the couch to get through the stuff that I have banked up on my 'to watch' lists, it's absolutely nuts! 
At the moment I have around ten TV series on the go, which is not really that unusual for me, but I have had up to a 15 or more going at one time this year and that is just freaking insane, not to mention unprecedented as well. It is very bloody difficult to watch any movies when you are constantly in catch up mode of all of your TV programs, and to make matters worse, I have been completely hoodwinked by a few 'not so good' TV series this year that have really let me down and wasted my precious viewing time. First world problems I know, but it is true and I really hate starting something and not finishing it, but this year I have had no choice but to abandon some real TV series stinkers. 

​For those of you that may be contemplating watching something on TV, can I please forewarn you of the following series that you should avoid at all costs:
Electric Dreams - had some good moments, but not nearly enough of them.
The Exorcist - I blame S2, it nearly gave me a bleed on the brain- pitiful!
Re-mind - Re-think would have been a better name.
The Walking Dead (S8) - enough already - please STAAAPPP!!
Lost in Space - Bloody lost me completely, yawn fest. 
Requiem - The name says it all.
Gunpowder - Don't be fooled by the lure of Kit Harrington, this went nowhere!
Picnic at Hanging Rock - the original movie shits all over this boring reboot. 

On a brighter note, there have been some unmissable moments as well, here are my faves from the year so far:
Mosaic - Steven Soderbergh does TV a big favour.
Britannia - Pagans and Romans and Druids - oh my!
The End of the Fucking World - kinda art house, definitely had a fresh perspective. 
Dirk Gently S2 - final season - boohoo!
Master of None S2 - keeps getting better!
Atlanta S2 - Good lord, amazing - not yet finished airing.
Handmaid's Tale S2 - okay not as good as S1 but still worthy - not yet finished airing. 
Peaky Blinders S4 - made up for a crappy S3.
Here and Now - welcome back Alan Ball, how I have missed you!
Ash vs Evil Dead S3 - mental horror fun.
Santa Clarita Diet S2 - surprisingly improved on the first season.
Love S3 - consistently great.
Barry - quirky dark comedy with Bill Hader, what's not to like?
Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events S2 - soooo good, even better than the first!
Swedish Dicks S2 - Ingmar and Axel rule! Love it!
One Strange Rock - Aronofsky does documentary and succeeds brilliantly!
Happy! - Utterly broken and yet still so damn entertaining. 

Hopefully you haven't succumbed to the unending amount of crap that is being rolled out on TV lately and wasted your precious viewing time as well. Perhaps my recommended list will offer you some relief and you can now begin to fill your time with worthy and noteworthy programming.
Anyway, on that note, I actually have a couple of shows that I need to catch up on, so I'll blog ya later, happy viewing!