Simply close this window to return to Mike Rudd & Bill Putt's Stop Press           August   The bits of stuff that fall in the cracks between Life, Music and Outrageous Fortune.           Holy Motors 29.8.12 - Until just now I forgot entirely about the opening sequence when I was mentally reviewing Holy Motors, but the initial conceit of a man finding a door in his bedroom that leads into a movie theatre is really the key to understanding what follows. Perhaps I forgot about the introduction because it's overwhelmed by the nine (?) subsequent episodic vignettes and not referred to again - apart from the reappearance of the lugubrious dog. I won't try and describe any of the various vignettes, but overall it reminded me of a morality play, (or a Bergman movie), that's been shot and directed with an occasionally painful realism mixed with an Art House Mission Impossible sensibility. I quickly tired of the cycle of engaging with it and then having my emotional investment undermined. I enjoyed the rousing instrumental interval / interlude in the middle. I did find myself waiting for the Minogue cameo and so when it eventually arrived I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't much more to it that had been shown on At The Movies. I was struck by the smallness of Kylie's voice. It's apparently quite a self-referential movie, but apart from the URL graveyard I missed most of the no-doubt amusing details. A few of the audience walked out at key moments, which could be the mark of an interesting film or a stinker. It's got a light-hearted silly ending that I found off-key. I think I might've enjoyed it more forty years ago.           Mike, Stewart MacFarlane and Robbo with Tim lurking.. Stewart MacFarlane's book launch 23.8.12 - I'd forgotten about the book launch until I got a call from Robbo on his way home from another day's teaching. Robbo was in The Fudds with Stewart way back when and actually features in one of the paintings in Stewart's very handsome book. He's got another one or two of Stewart's paintings at home as well. A measure of their friendship is that Stewart (pic) wouldn't commence a reading from the book until Robbo had safely arrived - in fact, he was clearly chuffed to see us both there and made quite a fuss. (Buy the book on-line) Robbo and I had a couple of glasses of red and lamented the absence of finger food but enjoyed the launch. I'm looking forward to reading the book too - lots of pictures..           The carnage on the corner of Stephensons and High St Rds What's happening to Mt Waverley? 2.8.12 - When I moved to Mt Waverley nearly a couple of years ago, (!) I thought it was a pretty tame suburb. Nothing happens. These last couple of days have given me cause to wonder if that assessment needs to be reviewed. Yesterday I awoke to discover that there'd been the wanton murder of a cabbie just down the road followed by his assailant crashing the cab and being incinerated, and today I was driving on my daily trek to Camberwell when I was overtaken by traffic cops and eventually came on this extravagant collision between a concrete mixer and, well, I don't know what it was. Check out the large pic                   back to the top