Spent the day in Geelong with Seth, Zoe and Lachlainn on Friday, which was lovely. We all went to see the latest Alice in Wonderland offering - Through the Looking Glass. I must say that I am seriously glad that I went to see this on the big screen, because it was so visually pleasing and I doubt that it is going to translate very well onto the small screen. Overall though...let's just say that it wasn't as good as the first one. Not tragic, just not as good - 2.5 Chili Peppers for me, which is pretty tepid really. Just a shame about the weak story line really, because the cast was very strong, there just wasn't enough good material for them to work with.
I decided to get practical this weekend and get my vegetable patch up and going for the winter season. Hardly exciting stuff, but hopefully we will be eating collards, beets and cabbages in the coming weeks if I have any success with this planting effort. That's the problem with having a vegetable patch, it is quite a lot of effort and there is never any guarantee that your crops won't fail, which is such a shit-house feeling when it does. I suppose that it puts some perspective on just how hard it must be to be a farmer though, because if my livelihood was dependent on my harvest success rate, lets just say that I would be broke or dead by now.
On Sunday, Craig, Helen and I went out to Creswick to learn all about fungi. A lady named Alison Pouliot (a specialist in all things fungi-like) runs these fantastic fungi foraging workshops in Victoria every Autumn. Craig and I have been trying to get into one of these workshops for years, but they are always booked so far in advance that we've previously had no luck getting in. This year we got in super early and snagged ourselves the opportunity to learn about the types of mushrooms that grow in our area and most importantly, which varieties are safe to eat. Turns out that we have an abundance of two 'safe to eat' varieties growing on our property, and after we got home, I promptly set about foraging some up and trying them out. And yep, they're edible alright and bloody delicious too. Fried some up in garlic and butter with a little salt and pepper and woohoo, a taste sensation! And I am not sick or dying, so that's a good sign that I have learnt to correctly identify those varieties as well. I do believe that I am going to enjoy many Autumns of fungi feasting off the back of that workshop, so that was a mighty good use of my Sunday.
Between all of that planting and foraging, I also managed to see a movie that I did really enjoy, but I don't think that this one's going to be everyone taste. Ha! Who am I kidding? Most of the stuff I watch isn't to everyone taste, probably a lot isn't to much of anyone's taste if the truth be told! But anyway, here are my thoughts on Tarantino's latest effort.
I decided to get practical this weekend and get my vegetable patch up and going for the winter season. Hardly exciting stuff, but hopefully we will be eating collards, beets and cabbages in the coming weeks if I have any success with this planting effort. That's the problem with having a vegetable patch, it is quite a lot of effort and there is never any guarantee that your crops won't fail, which is such a shit-house feeling when it does. I suppose that it puts some perspective on just how hard it must be to be a farmer though, because if my livelihood was dependent on my harvest success rate, lets just say that I would be broke or dead by now.
On Sunday, Craig, Helen and I went out to Creswick to learn all about fungi. A lady named Alison Pouliot (a specialist in all things fungi-like) runs these fantastic fungi foraging workshops in Victoria every Autumn. Craig and I have been trying to get into one of these workshops for years, but they are always booked so far in advance that we've previously had no luck getting in. This year we got in super early and snagged ourselves the opportunity to learn about the types of mushrooms that grow in our area and most importantly, which varieties are safe to eat. Turns out that we have an abundance of two 'safe to eat' varieties growing on our property, and after we got home, I promptly set about foraging some up and trying them out. And yep, they're edible alright and bloody delicious too. Fried some up in garlic and butter with a little salt and pepper and woohoo, a taste sensation! And I am not sick or dying, so that's a good sign that I have learnt to correctly identify those varieties as well. I do believe that I am going to enjoy many Autumns of fungi feasting off the back of that workshop, so that was a mighty good use of my Sunday.
Between all of that planting and foraging, I also managed to see a movie that I did really enjoy, but I don't think that this one's going to be everyone taste. Ha! Who am I kidding? Most of the stuff I watch isn't to everyone taste, probably a lot isn't to much of anyone's taste if the truth be told! But anyway, here are my thoughts on Tarantino's latest effort.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Release Date: 2015
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 187 mins
This Tarantino offering plays out more like a "Who-Done-It " murder mystery than an action movie, so it was hardly surprising that die hard fans of the director's previous works weren't as entranced by this new material. I however felt that The Hateful Eight, although most certainly less accessible than Tarantino's previous repertoire, was nothing short of brilliant. Part western, part mystery, part drama, it is difficult to know exactly where this film fits in terms of genre, but there is still plenty of crime, so that part was a no-brainer.
Set in Wyoming during a particularly harsh winter, a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) is travelling to the town of Red Rock to deliver his latest captive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to the hangman. Along the way, they collect two passengers and end up having to take refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery when a fierce blizzard makes their travels too dangerous. At the Haberdashery they encounter four more men, also claiming to be waiting out the storm, but as the hours progress, it becomes clear that not everyone is really who they are claiming to be.
The fact that the majority of this film happens within the small confines of one room means that the script needed to be tight and engaging, which it is, very engaging in fact. Without a doubt, Tarantino's collection of tried and true 'villain' actors do a marvelous job of keeping the story afloat and delivering faultlessly for the duration. Samuel L.Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern demonstrate that they still definitely have what it takes, and with the help of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bicher and James Parker the intriguing story line plays out with style. Don't expect this to be like Tarantino's other movies, because it's not. Quentin Tarantino is certainly still evolving as a director, and each movie that he makes is a testimony to that. I for one can't wait to see what he does next!
FINAL SAY: You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang.
4 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 2015
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 187 mins
This Tarantino offering plays out more like a "Who-Done-It " murder mystery than an action movie, so it was hardly surprising that die hard fans of the director's previous works weren't as entranced by this new material. I however felt that The Hateful Eight, although most certainly less accessible than Tarantino's previous repertoire, was nothing short of brilliant. Part western, part mystery, part drama, it is difficult to know exactly where this film fits in terms of genre, but there is still plenty of crime, so that part was a no-brainer.
Set in Wyoming during a particularly harsh winter, a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) is travelling to the town of Red Rock to deliver his latest captive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to the hangman. Along the way, they collect two passengers and end up having to take refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery when a fierce blizzard makes their travels too dangerous. At the Haberdashery they encounter four more men, also claiming to be waiting out the storm, but as the hours progress, it becomes clear that not everyone is really who they are claiming to be.
The fact that the majority of this film happens within the small confines of one room means that the script needed to be tight and engaging, which it is, very engaging in fact. Without a doubt, Tarantino's collection of tried and true 'villain' actors do a marvelous job of keeping the story afloat and delivering faultlessly for the duration. Samuel L.Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern demonstrate that they still definitely have what it takes, and with the help of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bicher and James Parker the intriguing story line plays out with style. Don't expect this to be like Tarantino's other movies, because it's not. Quentin Tarantino is certainly still evolving as a director, and each movie that he makes is a testimony to that. I for one can't wait to see what he does next!
FINAL SAY: You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang.
4 Chili Peppers
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