This is not a film I would normally go to. The only reason I went to this was I owed Blarney and Barney's 13-year-old boys a Christmas present and it was this or Godzilla and Kong. They preferred this one, and being the good aunt, I took them along.
Other things you should know before I do this review. I did not see the first Dune, nor the Dune of the 1980s with Kyle McLaclan. But I have garnered enough knowledge about the Dune universe from friends and the interwebs to sit down and watch without bringing my book to the theatre.
So, what did I learn about Dune?
Umm.
1) It's a nerd film. If you're into cinematography and soundscapes this is your film.
2) It has a fantastic cast, from Timothee Chalomet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Stellan Skarsgaard, Josh Brolin, Javier Barden. Great cast. Very easy to watch.
3) Even if you didn't see the first film, you do get the hang of what's going on pretty quickly.
4) It wasn't as violent as I thought it was going to be. It is violent, but as it's a fantasy film, it's easier to take.
5) Austin Butler, without hair, looks like my mate Reindert. Reindert, thankfully, still has his eyebrows.
6) The worms are cool.
7) The script is pretty good. I wasn't cringing. That is something.
8) Denis Villeneuve is obviously good at directing this sort of stuff. He directed Arrival, a film I love. This is up there.
9) For a film that's been out a few weeks, it was cool to see that the big cinema at the Yarraville Sun was half full.
10) I have no regrets about seeing this. I'm also now debt free to my proxy godsons - but it is their birthdays in a few weeks and we might need to find another film to go see. It's what aunties too.
To wrap this up, I'm not the person to do an earnest review of this. The two hours and forty five minutes went quick enough, I enjoyed the sound engineering and cinematography, and the story was fast paced enough to not have me checking my watch every five minutes. In all, it was a bit better than I was expecting. I might have even enjoyed it more if I'd seen the first one.
Another Saturday night of ironing. Another good excuse to get the weekend questions out of the way.
Once I get these done, I can then go finish my wonderful book.
Questions, as always, have been supplied by Bev at Sunday Stealing.
1. Name a TV series show or shows in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
There are a number of these, including:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fawlty Towers
House M.D.
Lucifer
Suits
Bridgerton
Gilmore Girls
The White Lotus
The West Wing
I would put Six Feet Under on this list, but there is one episode I can't rewatch. It's just too violent.
2. Name a show or shows you can't or would not miss:
This is my one guilty pleasure show. I watch Married at First Sight. It's so bad, it's good.
3. Name an actor or actors that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
I will happily watch anything with Andrew Scott or Matthew Goode in it. Both are English actors, both are incredible - particularly the former. I'm going to watch Ripley on Netflix in the next few days.
4. Name an actor or actors who would make you less likely to watch a show:
I'm not a fan of Will Ferrell. Never liked him, though his forays in the land of Ron Burgundy are a bit fun.
5. You're having a lovely dinner party for friends and family. What will you serve for appetizers, main course and dessert?
As it's going into Winter, I'd be looking to serve some good warming foods. And something French. So I'd start with French Onion Soup, and follow it with either a roast lamb or roast salmon (might have to do both as there might be people who don't eat lamb). Then a creme brulee for dessert. I think that sounds pretty good - and not too difficult.
6. Snow storm! You've got house guests and you're all stuck inside for the night. What do you prepare for dinner. Will you watch a movie? Which?
Umm, I don't know what I would do in a snow storm as we don't get snow here in Melbourne (well we get a sprinkling in the hills every so often. But occasionally we get rained in, like they were in Sydney this weekend. I'd do things like soup and roasted veggies and toasted sandwiches, and make sure there's lots of nibblies. Also, we would be watching a movie. There's plenty to be found on the streaming services. Maybe have a Marvel festival. Marvel is good for things like being rained in.
7. We are going into New York City for the weekend. Where do you want to go?
Oh, New York, you can't do that in a weekend. But for a start I would love to go to the Gugenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One meal would need to be had at Katz's Deli. I'd also like to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and have a look around Brooklyn. Maybe a walk along Fifth Avenue and eat a bagel in front of Tiffany's. A weekend is too short a time.
8. You are going to night school. They offer courses in writing short stories, painting, piano or guitar lessons, simple home repairs, baking, and gardening. Which do you pick (or make up one of your own) and why?
Part of me says do the writing course, but I've done a lot of them, so for something different, I would go for the piano lessons. I never got them as a kid and I've always wanted to play the piano.
9. Ever been to a Drive In Theater? Would you like to see Drive In Theaters make a comeback?
We used to go to the drive in when we were kids. It was a popular thing to do in the seventies. We also have a couple of drive ins around - well there were before COVID. Outdoor cinemas are making a comeback. I'm hoping to go to one in Darwin when I am up there next week. The Deckchair Cinema is excellent, even if you have to slather yourself in bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away. There is nothing better than sitting in a deckchair with a beer watching the sun go down behind the screen, then watching as the geckoes run across the screen and the bats fly into the Moreton Bay fig trees that surround the cinema grounds.
10. Should towns provide community entertainment like bands in the park, fireworks on the 4th, community picnics or is the cost just too much?
Being Australian we don't have the July Fourth Celebrations, but I'm good with the occasional celebration run by the council. We do have a big celebration here called Moomba in early March and there are always New Year's Eve fireworks. We're also lucky to have great grounds where people can have picnics, which are maintained by the council, but are free to use. People seem to like it. Our taxes pay for it, so why not.
11. What would you change about your town if you had the power?
Not much. Melbourne is pretty good just the way it is. Maybe they could do something about the swooping magpies in the season. Oh, and a lot more social housing. Housing costs are exorbitant in Australia, but Melbourne is particularly bad.
12. How often do you find yourself shopping for groceries?
Normally twice a week. A big shop on the weekend, and fresh meat, fruit and veg doing the week.
13. Do you have a favorite night time snack?
I'm a bit of a potato chip fan late at night. I generally don't keep them in the house, but the current favourites are the kettle chips in the Dijon mustard and honey flavour. They are just a bit too morish.
14. Do you buy in bulk and what kinds of tips do you have to save money on grocery shopping?
Living alone I don't generally buy in bulk, although I'll often get a tray of chicken breasts then freeze them individually. The one thing I used to buy in bulk was natural deodorant, which came in from the US. This brand called Native. They were excellent. Unfortunately, they are no longer shipping to Australia.
15. Let's have a picnic in the park. What foods are we packing and will we cook anything there or is it all prepared ahead of time?
Picnics need to be prepared for so you don't have to cook. I'd go and get a roast chicken from the supermarket, cut it up, get some salads, cheese biscuits (crackers) and dip and take the easy route. It;s good when everybody brings something along. Makes it fun.
File this one under should have stopped while the going was good.
Not even Paul Rudd can save this one.
And sure, the nostalgia factor is there, and the effects are good, but it's stuck between the eighties and now, and this doesn't make for great viewing.
As a Friday night film, there to wash off the week, it's fine. But there is nothing to get excited about.
The family drama, which started in the reboot of Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) carries on. Spengler's daughter (Carrie Coon) and her kids (Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace) are now shacked up in the original Ghostbusters fire station. There are some big supernatural events. Dickless, is now the mayor (IYKYK). He tries to shut them down. Things go strange. New York is under attack. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a far better film.
Sound familiar? It's starting to labour the point.
Gil Kenan's screen writing and direction are hackneyed. Thankfully the cast try to make the best of the bad lines and get on with it. The family saga is predictable, but sort of cute. New York looks great, as always. It was sweet seeing Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson together again.
But don't pay for this film. Wait for it to come onto a streaming service.
It's okay, but that's about it. Fine for Friday night movie fodder and nostalgia buffs, but that is about it. There are better things in the cinema.
I'm going to pose a hypothetical. Think of me as Geoffrey Robinson back in the day, roaming around the stage, postulating on one question or another. I seem to remember one night he looked at the subject of whether Dracula had AIDS. Looking around the interwebs, I see there is a book that looks at his series of the eighties.
Anyway, let's pretend that it's five years from now.
Your daughter, now in her mid-twenties, fresh out of law school and interning at a major city law firm. Her once curly hair is now straightened into a gentle wave thanks to the $600 Dyson hairdryer you and your ex-husband bought her for Christmas. She wears neutral clothes, loose fitting, but tailored. Her pittance of a stipend from the law firm will turn into good money soon. For the moment, both of you charge her nominal rent, just to make sure she begins to know the value of money. Then again, she's had a job from the time she was sixteen. She bought her first car, secondhand, and outright. She's a good person. She donates blood. She's been known to go on the odd march for various causes. She has plenty of female friends. She hates being told what to do.
Tonight, she is bringing over her new beau for dinner to you to meet you. A meet the folks night.
Your ex-husband is coming along too. You're on amicable terms. The divorce was finalised ten years ago. You kept the house. He bought another. You went half-half in the private school fees. As divorces go, both of you got through fairly unscathed. You've both re-partnered. Your darling daughter is content knowing both of these people are in your lives. She has rooms in both your houses.
That she's bringing home a boyfriend, a possible partner, is a big thing. A few years ago, you met her formal date, a spotty youth from the brother boy's school who she knew from the debating team. He appeared to be harmless. The other men she's introduced you to have been friends, many of them gay, most of them a bit awkward. It appears to be her type. The swotty fellow, with the thick glasses who hasn't grown into his skin quite yet. Her female friends all tend to be firebrands. Her best friend from primary school has just qualified as a doctor. They don't get to see each other as often as they would like, but they text daily.
So, you've gone all out for this occasion. You've done the cooking. Your ex will bring the wine. Going retro, you've raided the Maggie Beer cookbook and made something with verjuice and prunes. Verjuice, like vegemite, surely never goes off. For dessert, you've gone the pavlova route. It's easy. A classy dinner for your daughter's big reveal.
Your ex and his wife turn up on time and you crack a bottle of bubbles between the four of you. Your husband and your new partner have always got on well. One's a lawyer, the other a plumber. They've never had an issue and talk freely. Your husband's new wife is a lovely person. Secretly, you think she's a bit too good for him. You congregate in the kitchen and postulate what this new fellow will be like.
"She hasn't said much," you say.
"Bit of a dark horse, our daughter," offers your husband.
"I'm sure he's delightful," counters your partner, hunting around the fridge for some nibbles.
"I'm looking forward to meeting him. Allegedly, they met at a law school mixer," chips in your ex's wife. "She's almost been cagey about him."
You hear the rumble of a car in the driveway, the opening and closing of car doors and footsteps heading to the front door. Your daughter has a key.
The footsteps reverberate down the hallway.
His slight paunch greets you milliseconds before you are made aware of his totality. He's heavy-set, doughy, with a close trim beard. He wears the uniform of the entitled. Cream RM Williams canvas trousers, pale blue cotton shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. RM Williams boots. He takes his handshake to your ex-husband and he calls him by name, meeting his eye, but disregarding everybody else in the room.
You're trying to place him.
Then it twigs.
The court cases. The trial by media. The sordid details that played out in the paper. The popular opinions and the pub tests. You remember, after reading Anna Funder's Wifedom how rapey bastards with connections seem to get away with everything. Is this one just another one of those entitled pricks who have no recourse for their behaviour. Of does everybody deserve a second chance? Or do you blurt out your instant feelings of disgust and ban him from the house?
So, what do you do?
Your daughter has brought home a pariah. How do you respond?
The day was busy - nothing new there. In the office with the Borg swilling around the atrium. Did you know that I've been working in buildings that have their own signature scents? You go in and it smells different. Good different, but these property managers pay to have a signature scent for the building. I find it a bit strange, but I suppose it's better than smelling sweat, industrial floor cleaner and spilled coffee.
Anyway, after finishing work, I raced home, fed the cat and braced myself for my solo session with Chuck. Jay is on her way to Adelaide for the AFL Gather Round. This means I had Chuck all to myself.
Joy.
Working with another in your PT sessions is both good and has its challenges. Sometimes you can egg each other on. Other times, the weaker member of the team will dictate what's being done. Chuck, a bit older and more experienced than Twelve, seems capable of swapping things around for Jay and I to meet our different needs.
Unfortunately, with Jay away, all bets were off tonight.
I arrived on time.
Three minutes of rowing, which turned into five minutes. Yeah, yeah.
Squat practice. Chuck is big on technique. He gave me a 16-kilo dumbbell and got me to squat, correcting my technique.
Yeah, that was good. The better the technique the less likely you going to get injured.
Next, lat pull downs and shoulder overheads. Again, my normal weight would be what Jay can do. He's upped all my weights.
Oh, then hamstring curls. I don't mind the machine. He set the weights at 60 kilos. I put it to 90 for the first round. We ended up with the machine set at 115 kilos.
"You're strong. We're going to get you stronger," he told me.
That works for me.
We talked about all sorts of things. About old trainers and some of the torture devices used on us. Of my current anxiety irks, and how exercise is helping. About footy - he's an Essendon supporter, so we're just going to have to ignore that. About how 155 grams of protein is hard to eat every day - but after talking to one of the Darwin crew who's into body building, she gave me a few tips (the iced coffee with almond milk and protein powder was a good call).
The last big exercise for tonight was the sled. Pushing a weighted sled over carpet. 40 kgs on the sled. I was told to walk not too fast, nor too slow.
"Pretend you're a gay man when you're pushing the sled. Gay men walk quicker than straight me, and they have "Womaniser" in their heads."
"You want me to push the sled to a daft 90's song?"
"You don't know the song?"
"I'm old, not deaf," and with that, I started humming Britney Spears inane little ditty while moving a pile of iron up the gym.
"That gay blokes walking to "Womaniser" has to be a pile of crock."
And after working me to the bone, making me sweat buckets, fixing all sorts of gym techniques I didn't know needed fixing, I left, 45 minutes later, on the verge of vomiting, very sweaty, and very happy.
Jay has another footy thing next week - which means we're going to do this all again.
Fun.
I'm going to stretch now. I'm going to hurt tomorrow.
I'm being tossed around with a bit of anxiety at the moment, which is not fun. However, before I go on, let me say I'm taking care of myself. I've called it out, I'm exercising, not drinking alcohol, taking time for me and looking at my thought processes carefully. And when push comes to shove, I have some Whittaker's Jelly Tip chocolate to boost me up (Thanks, Geetangeli).
What I am enjoying is interrogating my thoughts, which may seem strange, but it's keeping things on an even keel.
Here are a few of my random thoughts for the day.
Pistachio Toothpaste
Have you any idea how weird it is not to have minty toothpaste? I bought this stuff, HiSmile Pistachio, on a whim, it being half price at Chemist Warehouse. Being the type that likes to try EVERYTHING, this had to be done. The verdict - it is very strange. It's not minty nor does it have a strong cinnamon flavour (there used to be one called Close-Up, which used to taste great) This stuff is strange. It cleans your teeth really well, but I'm not sure about the breath factor. I think I might keep this for when I'm working from home.
I'm reading Madeleine Gray's Green Dot at the moment, and it is fabulous. I'm loving my tea breaks at the moment. Go in, lie down, read ten pages. Hopelessly relatable, flawed characters, understandable situations. I love it.
My audiobook of the moment is Melissa Lukashenko's Edenglassie. It's fascinating.
I'm lucky to be taken away by both books.
The best feeling in the world.
Was felt walking around the shopping centre at lunchtime. I had to pop into the post office and Telstra (for my sins) Things were sorted quickly. I found some sushi for lunch. I went home. But the simple act of walking about felt good.
My battle with protein
Chuck, my new trainer, wants me eating 2200 calories a day, 155 grams of this should be protein. Have you any idea how much food that is? It feels like too much. The anxiety makes all of this play on my brain. Instead of agonising over this, I'm doing what I can, eating well and breathing through the bad thoughts that follow. Adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder to my iced coffee also worked well.
This came today in the mail with some of that trial deodorant. Just why the company thinks I need an armpit detox mask is beyond me,. It was part of a deal. The thing is, I've been using natural deodorants for many years. I'll give it a go, but it still seems a bit strange to me.
It has been a lovely Easter, despite being plagued with some low-level anxiety. Firstly, and most importantly, the rising feelings of panic and unrest are being managed. Calling it out is the best thing. Then using the toolbox to get it in control. It's in hand. And spending time with old friends has been fantastic. All good.
Oh yeah, Mercury went retrograde today. Such fun.
Anyway, here are some of the things that helped me keep on an even keel today.
1) I met Millie at the NGV today for a wander around the Triennial. We have not seen each other for years and it was wonderful to catch up. Wandering around the gallery, having a chat, talking about all and sundry (We have the same job, with both have aging parents, we both love books and travel.) It was a lovely morning.
2) On walking to the NGV, which was doing on time for a change on a Public Holiday morning, I heard a song playing over the tannoy at the pub in Flinders Street Station. The pub is as dodgy as the song, which I've put as song of the day. God bless Shirley Strachan. He was taken too soon - but he died doing something he loved.
But Jukebox in Siberia will always make me happy.
3) And I saw a Picasso at the gallery. I might have to go back to visit my favourite Francis Bacon painting. Actually, I want to go back to the gallery next weekend. Millie and I didn't get through it all. I reckon next Saturday might be a goer.
Oh, and did I say that Mercury went retrograde today.
4) And I bought myself a new iPhone today. My old one was beginning to behave very strangely. With a heap of vouchers and trading in my old phone, I got it for under $700. Was very happy about this.
Once should never make big transactions when Mercury is in retrograde. Things stuff up.
5) So, after a day of wandering around town, and getting great service at JB HiFi, and having Nandos for lunch, and coming home to do a PT session with Cleo, who calls in from Barcelona, it's been a good day.
6) Oh, and did I mention Mercury went retrograde today. It goes direct again on 24 April.
And this anxiety is brought into a new light. Oh, such fun.
(p.s. If you haven't seen Miranda, look it up. It's wonderful.)
