I recently got my hands on a Google Wave invite, and I have to admit that I’m not that impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I think the technology is great, it’s a bit of fun, and I do subscribe to their idea that Wave is “what email would be like if it were invented toady”. Unfortunately, I can’t see it garnering the broad use that they’re looking for. As a development experiment it’s a good proof of concept, but unless it completely integrates with current email protocols and becomes seamlessly cross-platform, it’s never going to be more than a novelty.
I got the tip off to watch ‘Andy Richter Controls The Universe’ from a list of TV shows cancelled earlier than they should have been. Unfortunately, I disagree. This show is mediocre at best; lacking subtlety, endearing characters and clear writing. Most of the laughs come from jokes at the expense of the physical appearance of characters, and though the first episode sets up the story behind the five main characters, the remaining five episodes immediately choose to ignore it. I’m surprised this was given a second season. I might have to watch just to see if it gets better.
The fanboy culture is so ingrained in the concept of ‘Star Trek’ that it mush have been very hard for J.J. Abrams to put together an incarnation as accessible as this. But accessible, it is; and a very entertaining sci-fi action adventure at that. Zachary Quinto seems perfect as a new generation of Spock, with his years as the pseudo-human Sylar in ‘Heroes’ standing him in good stead. There’s also impressive work by relative newcomer Chris Pine. And Daniel Mindel’s space cinematography (including the infamous lens flares) has an organic feel, somewhat reminiscent of Whedon’s CGI handi-cam approach in ‘Firefly’.
As a disclaimer, this is not a review of Michel’s Patisserie in their capacity as a provider of cakes and pastries, rather their ability to furnish me with a light, café-style breakfast, as their sign suggests they can. If you can provide fancy tarts, flans, and friands; fruit toast should be easy. I can’t say I’ve ever made a gateau, but I’ve baked raisin toast. That’s why, when I ordered my breakfast, I was very disappointed to pay $3 for two slices of Tip Top Cafe Bread Raisin Loaf, a whole loaf of which costs under $4.50 at the supermarket.
For a show that I’m surprised even made it past the first preliminary briefing meeting, I’m impressed that it’s made it to its second (and now slated for a third) season. This second season re-hashes many of the themes from the first (it’s hard not to when the entire premise is built around one characters philandering ways), but the performances remain strong, even if some episodes blur into each other. The writing for Duchovny’s ‘Hank Moody’ character is what really drives the appeal of the show, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a fair bit of his dialogue were improvised.
When a show has to tell you explicitly how it’s trying to be funny, you know there’s a problem. Two episodes into this season about a faux news team, the title sequence was changes to include a caption detailing that the members of the public being interviewed were, in fact, not actors. Maybe this was necessary due to how bad the rest of the acting was, or maybe early audiences simply weren’t sure when to laugh. Personally, I didn’t laugh much at all when watching ’Dog Bites Man’ – regardless of what I was told at the start of the show.
Much like a fancy sports car, the loud chatter and buzz means that you usually hear The Quarter before you see it. And, sticking with the sports car metaphor, it plays on the attention it gets as more and more people look over to see what the fuss is about. That fuss is over decent food and great coffee, in a café environment that defines the laneways of Melbourne. Make sure you’re comfortable with close-quarter seating arrangements, as even though the tables aren’t officially communal, you’ll know all the details of your neighbours’ lunch before you know about your own.
You have to worry when, even with only half a dozen tables filled at a 150-cover restaurant, it still takes 45 minutes to bring your breakfast. This could be forgiven if the food was outstanding, but with fairly basic bacon and eggs, and the only slightly more exotic ‘ranch’ style eggs on a cardboard tortilla, there wasn’t too much positive to say about the meal itself. The location, though, makes up for some of it – with the restaurant sitting on Tedder Avenue at the north end of the Gold Coast. Worth walking past, but not worth stopping for a meal.
Every so often, a movie comes along to further define the ‘Epic’ genre. These are films like ‘The Godfather’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Terminator 2’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. And with ‘Avatar’, James Cameron has booked himself a second seat at that table. The scale of this film is majestical, and it’s clear that no expense has been spared; not just with the CGI, but with props, costumes, and sets. The animation is fantastic and blends seamlessly with the live action shots and characters. And most importantly of all, the story is powerful and moving, with a strong and positive message.
