Look beyond the pale, the quiet, the studious and the mundane. Once you enter their mind, you are exploring different worlds.
Look at the girl quietly typing away on the laptop. Look at the man scribbling furiously on the yellow legal pad paper. You might see a quiet person doing ‘busy work’; earpods in, a pen taps as they seek the right words to define a moment of pure joy, or terror.
These people are crafting new worlds, either with a sense of the familiar or a place of almost limitless imagination. They are fuelling vendettas, they are enacting revenge on past disputes. These people are weighing the balance between good and evil, and raising the stakes for future protagonists. Hearts are being broken and mended. Values and key issues, key philosophies are scripted before plunging into the page; a time capsule for future generations to explore.
They are writing books that have the power to change the world. They are the inventors and if you open doors for them, they will open up worlds for you. So look beyond the pale and take in the kaleidoscope of words.
We remember great performances but we also remember real stinkers in some huge blockbuster films. Sometimes they stink up the scenery or plain forget to show up. There are also limited range actors who to some honest to goodness miracle managed to make an entire career out of showing up on camera and making millions from it. These are actors who we’ve seen that are often better or know better.
Katie Holmes – Batman Begins
We are far from Dawson’s Creek here. This return to form for Batman films is led by an all star cast, with stellar performances from Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. Sadly, Katie Holmes does not fit into this category. Sure, she may not have much to work with as the character of Rachael Dawes, but she truly looks hypnotised in this film and instead of being struck by a fear-inducing toxin from the scarecrow, she is abruptly hit with a shot of prozac from Kristen Stewart’s bag of non-acting medication. A very mediocre performance that has Bale trying to forge his own couple’s chemistry.
Keanu Reeves – Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Not that Coppola’s take on Dracula has fared well over time, but stand out performances such as Gary Oldman’s either boost the film or shine a light on the other acting performances. In this case, it does the latter. Keanu Reeves is utterly terrible as Jonathon Harker. Perhaps more time spent with a voice coach or more time spent reading the novel and the script may have also helped. What truly stands out is his utterly woeful British accent. See the “I know where the bastard sleeps” scene on YouTube if you don’t want to sit through this explicit pot roast of a film.
January Jones – X-Men First Class
January Jones may have interpreted the character too literally in this film. McAvoy is solid as Xavier, Fassbender chews the scenery as Magneto. However January Jones is completely frozen in her portrayal of a particular icy villainness, Emma Frost. When we say icy, January we don’t mean frozen stiff in all the acting joints. Actually try emoting.
Kate Capshaw – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
As a kid, I loved this film (even though it is considered the weaker of the classic trilogy). Who hasn’t rushed up to their sibling with their hand out yelling “Kalimar!”? after watching this. Re-watching it as an adult, it’s amazing how annoying and whiny Capshaw’s Billie is throughout the entire film. Often completely unnecessary throughout and delivered with an over-the-top lack-of-style by Capshaw. Every moment she whines, cries or starts screaming, she brings the film down a notch, to the point there’s very few left. Stop whining about the bugs and save Indy and Short Round ffs! Perhaps if Spielberg spent more time coaching and not flirting with his future wife, we may have seen a vastly different performance.
Bruce Willis – Death Wish
Trying to lowlight a mediocre performance of Bruce Willis outside the Die Hard franchise is like searching for a needle in a haystack of needles. I feel like I was the one longing for the cold hand of death in this one. It also resembled a zombie film except with just one zombie: A walking talking Willis zombie blindly stumbling through the set towards his paycheck. Not that Charles Bronson is renowned for his acting abilities but he looks like Lawrence Olivier in comparison here. Eli Roth also disappoints bringing this adaptation to a modern audience, but to have Willis at the helm was to ensure a car wreck. His character is meant to avenge his wife’s death and the attack on his daughter but instead he appears indifferent to the cause, and with the personality of a toaster.
Hayden Christenson – Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
The better of the three prequels, but ruined again by shoddy dialogue and the stilted approach to acting by Mannequin Skywalker, Hayden Christenson. This was meant to be the final tragic transition into Darth Vader, but all we get is a whiny brat quickly turning into a youngling-killing deranged maniac with very little justification. The whole time he voices expositionary dialogue with the deadpan conviction of a corpse. The acting force is not strong with this one.
Edward Furlong – Terminator 2
When Terminator 2 is often heralded as a masterpiece or epic, they’re not talking about Eddie Furlong’s portrayal of John Connor. Like with Hayden Christensen, casting someone as a whiny brat doesn’t work with a general audience. How can this guy be the leader of the future resistance when he can’t even deliver lines without making you cringe? The only thing he seems to do well is make a terminator seem more lifelike due to his robotic acting. Maybe that was James Cameron’s plan all along.
Natalie Portman – Revenge of the Sith
Again, she had a terrible script to work with and seemed to make an improvement from the robotic display in The Phantom Menace, but once again Natalie Portman is seduced by the bland side of acting in this cringe-worthy performance. Some lines including ” Anakin, you’re breaking my heart.” make you cringe like so much Tatooine sand itching against the skin. Another actor with so much potential in films like Black Swan, Portman knew better and allows the audience to lose the will to live through this stinker of a performance.
Batman Edition – George Clooney and Val Kilmer
“Hey Freeze, I’m Batman.” And “I’ll get drive-thru.” Perhaps Clooney and Kilmer are victims of terrible scripts again and of minimal direction from Joel Schumacher’s overly campy take on Batman that would make Adam West question the material. Either way both are pretty mediocre in different ways. Clooney is completely unconvincing as Batman and Kilmer does little with either. Not that these are great films but Batman forever is the more palatable of the two. Both the actors and the films are part of the reason why Warner Bros went into complete hibernation on the Bat franchise.
Charlize Theron – Prometheus
Another blockbuster almost brought to its knees by shoddy dialogue and poorly written characters. While some rise above it like Fassbender, others are floored by it including Charlize Theron. Normally fantastic in most films, Theron does little to add to the cookie-cut corporate management role, instead giving poor lines and plot twists with almost comically bad delivery and execution in a woefully inconsistent use of under and over acting in some bizarre medley throughout the film. Skip Prometheus and watch Fury Road or Monster instead.
Sam Jones – Flash Gordon
Also a passing note on the film Ted, Sam Jones completely shows the loose diversity of the term acting. Queen soundtrack, Brian Blessed, Max Von Sydow and Timothy Dalton: This film has it all, except for a convincing lead. Sam completely hams it up as Flash Gordon, though it’s not fun when it’s accidental. The stunning visuals could not hoist this film up beyond the cringeworthy campiness that is perfectly highlighted by Jones’ mediocre acting.
Orlando Bloom – Kingdom of Heaven
This film could be a masterpiece, with one very notable exception, and that is Orlando Bloom’s casting as the lead. He is meant to play a very weary and downtrodden widower, except at best all he can muster is the look of asullen teenager. With the personality and acting range of a boiled potato, he is heavily outshone by Edward Norton, Liam Neeson and Eva Green in an otherwise flawless cast. The director’s cut is particularly good; it’s just a shame they couldn’t cut Bloom out completely.
Tom Cruise – Days of Thunder
I was very tempted to include Cruise in Far and Away with his godawful leprechaun sounding Irish accent, but considering it was a complete flop I’ve decided on Days of Thunder instead. Even less convincing as a stock car driver than Nicole Kidman as a brain surgeon, Cruise’s aptly named Col Trickle has produced accidental pants-wetting hilarity with his amateurish performance. Another blockbuster that’s more of an over-blown garish passion project with some nauseating acting.
Dishonourable mentions or actors that are just too easy to choose for this subject:
I love the film The Castle – there are many reasons why it is already considered an Australian classic and it was great to see it return to the HSC syllabus. Some of its themes are timeless and the characters are unforgettable.
However this is not a review of The Castle. This is editorial commentary on the state of real estate in our Australian cities and how the Aussie dream of owning a house is becoming impossible for our new generation of Kerrigans: Australia’s working class. Or rather, the great Australian housing nightmare.
The beloved 3 Highview Crescent Coolaroo is actually 3 Dagonet Street, Strathmore and according to estimates is valued at over 1 million dollars for a 3 bedroom house close to the airport but 12km away from the city. My point here is: The majority of Australians don’t need compulsory acquisition to remove them from their homes, it’s happening rapidly through rising housing prices completely unaffordable to the average working class Australian.
“Melbourne’s median house price is forecast to rise by 8 per cent in 2020 and then by 3 to 5 per cent in 2021. This will mean Melbourne’s median house price reaches around $970,000 by the end of this year and will hit the $1 million mark by the second half of 2021. This is 10 per cent above the recent peak of $909,000 reached in December 2017.” Domain’s Property Price Forecasts – February 2020
These reports almost seem boastful and ignore the fact that this housing situation is greatly untenable to the majority of Australians, forcing them further away from their home towns or suburbs.
In Melbourne’s case, people are being pushed north-west and north-east while in Sydney they’re being pushed west. In each case, younger people are being pushed out of the suburbs they grew up in and being forced out all into the ever expanding urban sprawl in order to spend a much lengthier commute to work. So not only are Australians being forced to pay higher mortgages but spending much more time on the freeway. Sydneysiders will continue to see housing prices climb in the next year, as forecast in the Domain Property report:
“We predict Sydney house prices will rise by 10 per cent in 2020, with more modest growth of around 6 to 8 per cent expected in 2021. The median unit price is forecast to rise by 8 per cent in 2020 and then a further 3 to 5 per cent in 2021.
If these forecasts eventuate, Sydney’s median house price will be $1.25 million by the end of 2020. This is 5 per cent above the peak reached in June 2017. For units, the median price will be $795,000 in December 2020, 1 per cent above the peak reached in June 2017.”
So now picture the Kerrigans: Tracey, Dale, Steve and Wayne trying to raise a family, spending half their wages on their mortgage and travelling an hour each way to work just to keep their Australian dream home.
Analysts have predicted a real estate bubble to burst but it doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. Certainly while mortgage repayments are low and demand is still sky high. So what’s the answer? Have a sea-change or a tree-change?
Great if you can guarantee the same services, or if the Kerrigans don’t have children with chronic illnesses that need a regular specialist. The regional centres do their best to provide these services but they are not in the same level of availability as they are in the big cities.
Either way, we are short-changing our future generation of Australians and high demand for these properties continue to see ‘compulsory acquisition’ by the wealthiest. When Darryl reminds us ‘It’s not a house, it’s a home… And a man’s home is his Castle.” I say, be prepared to rent or… tell him he’s dreaming.
The stress of managing student behaviour continues to be a major factor behind teachers leaving the profession. Teaching often feels like providing a service to a customer who doesn’t want it. Students nowadays are very different to what most parents or adults remember, as are the teachers.
There are many things to consider in trying to remedy this situation, but it’s clear that the toxic culture surrounding the teaching community needs a clear upheaval. In only a hundred years, we have turned education from something that was considered a privilege to an annoying nuisance in the way of young people doing whatever they want. This attitude does not breed success in the young people of today.
I often use the battleground analogy when discussing teaching but it especially rings true in the classroom setting. The nature of (generational) opposition to teaching often seems embedded in many communities, making it difficult…
When you have a recipe that’s more flavoursome than the original, you don’t miss the original. This has been a great low-carb alternative to keep my blood sugars down while enjoying a favourite dish.
Ingredients
1kg lean mince
1 x 500g jar of Bolognaise sauce
1 x 400gm tub of light sour cream or Philly Cheese
1/2 a butternut pumpkin
1 pack of shredded cheese or 250 gm cheddar cheese
1 tsp of mixed herbs
(additional extras)
1tsp of vegetable salt for flavour
50gms of shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Can of diced tomatoes
Please Note: This is really only for 1 layer. For multiple layers I would suggest a whole butternut pumpkin and more cream cheese/sour cream.
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 deg C fan forced or 200 deg C
Grease an oven tray with a light oil spray
Cook the mince in a pan or frying pan on high till brown
Add Bolognaise sauce – stir sauce in till an even mix.
(for extra tomato flavour- add a can of diced tomatoes)
Topping:
Cut up butternut pumpkin into thin sheet-like pieces – you can use the longest side of a cheese grater but I like to use a large sharp knife.
Once the mince is cooked, spoon it on to the oven tray and spread evenly with a wooden spoon.
Add sour cream or philly cheese and spread evenly.
Place pumpkin pieces over the cream, overlapping them to cover the oven tray
Spread either shredded cheese or cheese slices like pictured over. In this case I’ve cut the cheese slices thinly off a block of cheddar cheese.
sprinkle with mixed herbs or oregano. (for extra cheese flavour add parmesan cheese)
Cook for 30 minutes until golden brown
Allow 15 minutes to cool before cutting into pieces
Voila! – Time to dine and be ready for seconds…
Full flavour with about a third of the carbohydrates of normal lasagne. Great for diabetics or for people looking to have a lower carb or GF alternative.
Like wine tasting, reviews of film and television can fall under complete subjectivity. Regardless, here is a list of top television episodes from my vault that have been deeply influential, highly enjoyable and sometimes heartbreaking. Some are critically acclaimed or Emmy award winning, so there is at least some agreement from the critics. Whatever your passion or poison, television-wise, please sniff the bouquet and swirl the words around a bit before you either keep reading or spit this prose out in disgust. If you’re still suffering lock-down blues, or enjoying a great holiday at home, this could be a long awaited trip down memory lane:
Honourable mentions (this could easily be a top 20):
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Body
Futurama: Jurassic Bark
South Park: Trapped in the Closet
Brooklyn 99 – Moo Moo
1. Battlestar Galactica – 33
The critically acclaimed reboot of the Battlestar Galactica franchise follows up the impressive miniseries with this adrenaline-charged pulse pounding episode, the first episode of season one. Following the Cylon invasion and decimation of the 12 colonies of Kobol, the surviving humans launch a desperate escape. The problem is that the Cylons keep showing up every 33 minutes to try and annihilate them. Each of the people aboard the Battlestar Galactica are on a desperate timeline to survive and protect the fleet before they jump again into hyperspace. Can they find the tracking device before it’s too late?
The show and this episode have everything a tv-goer needs: tension, action, drama, romance and humanity at its finest.
(You may even see some clear links between this episode and Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi)
2. Seinfeld – The Contest
Are you truly ‘master of your domain’?
It’s hardly surprising the Seinfeld episode The Contest won an emmy for writing. I mean how many times can you make a link to….ahem…self love without actually saying the ‘m’ word? But that’s not what makes it great. The contest is hilarious and is a true revelation of what Seinfeld is about. It’s not actually a show about nothing; rather it’s a study of anthropology in early 90s New York. The best study of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer is when they are under pressure. The ‘self-imposed’ pressure here mounts when Jerry starts dating a virgin. (people should recognise Daphne from Frasier here). In addition George’s mother throws her back out catching George in a…personal moment. Further events transpire as each of the characters make it a contest to see how long they can last…ahem before caving into personal urges. Regardless of the outcome of the contest, hilarity is the guaranteed winner of The Contest.
3. Breaking Bad – Ozymandias
Throughout most of the series viewers can truly identify and empathise with the plight of Walter White.
Breaking Bad has a lot of comparisons to a Shakespearean tragedy. Like Macbeth and Hamlet, Walter White is a victim of circumstance in the beginning. Cooking Meth to pay for his cancer treatments and provide a nest egg for his family in the event of his death is the initial catalyst for this drama and Walter’s character arc. As he rises up the meth empire and becomes known as Heisenberg, Walter becomes addicted to the power of this new way of life. By the final season we see Walter continue to spiral downward into becoming the character he reviles at the beginning. Ozymandias, Directed by Ryan Johnson, is one of the last gasps of humanity left in Walter as he starts to see the horrible collateral damage caused by his pursuit of power. Moments are truly gut-wrenching and it also reveals the death of a beloved character in the series.
4. The Simpsons – Homer’s Enemy
Now I could have chosen the obvious ones like the Who Shot Mr Burns two-parter or a Streetcar named Homer, but the best in my books is Homer’s enemy – the Frank Grimes episode. Mr Burns is inspired by the hard life of Frank Grimes, who ends up working with Homer Simpson. Grimey resents Homer’s idiocy, laziness and crassness in every aspect of his working life, and cannot comprehend how he still maintains a job, especially that of the safety officer. What is even more hilarious is the way Lenny and Carl continue defending Homer, even when he wins a model-building contest for children. The best part of the episode is where Frank points out the ease in which Homer drifts through life. “You’re what’s wrong with America!” Is Frank Grimes a symbol of an earlier time in America – the can-do pull yourself up by the boot straps generation and is Homer a sign of more decadent times? Each moment blends satire with downright hilarity, especially Homer’s duck-like eating ability.
5. Scrubs – My Lunch/ My Fallen Idol
This one has to be a two parter because of the dramatic turn at the end of one episode leading into the next. One of the best parts of Scrubs is the twisted protege’/mentor roles between J.D. and Dr Cox throughout the series. In My Lunch Cox becomes obsessed with finding donated organs for patients awaiting surgery. In the end Dr Cox has to cope with losing all of them and face his own advice which is “The Second you start blaming yourself for people’s deaths, there’s no coming back.“
As he sinks into a downward spiral, he takes time to wallow in his own self pity and bottle after bottle of scotch. Each of the close knit group of friends from Sacred Heart take it in turn to try and help, but it will take J.Ds intervention to see Cox finally emerge from the darkness.
6. Dexter – Hungry Man
So many great episodes of Dexter to choose from, especially in the first four seasons. Our twisted anti-hero like many good shows is awesome when facing an equally impressive villain. This season its Arthur Mitchell aka the Trinity Killer (played in fantastic form by John Lithgow). The difference in season 4 is that we meet the ‘big bad’ a lot earlier than most. Dexter initially decides not to kill Arthur until he learns from him. Unlike previous serial killers that have found themselves on Dexter’s operating table, Arthur is a devoted husband, father , teacher and deacon at the local church who does volunteer work.
In this season, Dexter is constantly juggling between family, work and his favourite pasttime of killing murderers. He sees Arthur as somewhat of an idol, until this episode where he sees the true monster of the trinity killer and how his family is merely a facade or a collateral beard for his true monster. In a thanksgiving meal from hell, Dexter sees the collateral damage caused by having a family as a ‘beard’ and even flashes his monster at Trinity for the briefest of moments.
Dexter has a moment of self-actualisation with how he fits into his own family: is it a cover or is it something much more?
7. The Soprano’s – Long Term Parking
In the world of the Sopranos, episodes like College and Whitecaps are watershed moments but in the later seasons, episodes like Long Term Parking are paramount to the downward spiral of several members of Tony Soprano’s crime family and often gut-wrenching. As the pressure mounts on the crime family and the FBI starts to infiltrate them, Christopher has to decide between his loyalty to Tony Soprano and his mob family or to his-long time partner Adriana, who has been recently blackmailed by the FBI and needs Christopher to turn state’s evidence against the crime syndicate and go into witness protection. The reveal to Christopher by Adriana has a profound effect and he has to make a very painful decision as he becomes torn between where his loyalties ultimately lie.
8. Master of None – Parents
What makes Master of None a great show is its honesty and its earnest perception of the world, often told through the eyes of a millennial. It tackles a number of issues such as racism, sexism and the trials and tribulations of relationships in the present. In this episode, it deals with perceptions of the older generation, especially the challenges of emigrating to the USA.
Unlike some of the previous episodes mentioned, this one is heart-warming and highlights some of the key differences in the generational gaps between children and their parents ( especially the offspring of immigrants). In particular is the focus on Dev’s parents ( played by Aziz Ansari’s actual parents) and their son, who always seems to put them off to go and do things like watch a film with one of his friends. Dev feels guilty for this and also for the hardships his parents endured emigrating to America in order to pave the way for a better life for their son (which is shown in a series of flashbacks). In a similar position is his friend Brian, who also has this type of relationship with his father. Rather than merely shrug their shoulders, the two team up to have a nice dinner with their parents to learn more about their lives. Moments throughout are funny and sweet and ultimately arm the two younger characters with a greater sense of appreciation for each of their parents.
9. Game of Thrones – The Laws of Gods and Men
“Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.“
One of the best parts of Game of Thrones ( or the Song of Ice and Fire book series) is its core cast of characters, and none have a greater impact than Tyrion Lannister. The quote above is used by Varys, an equally nefarious character. It sums up Tyrion’s (and Peter Dinklage’s) presence throughout the entire series.
Following the poisoning of Joffrey Baratheon, one of the most reviled villains of all time, many suspect his uncle Tyrion and he is quickly put on trial. Dinklage delivers a powerhouse performance here and we are made to feel that Tyrion, a dwarf whose made to feel like a cultural outsider to his own family, has been on trial his entire life. Dinklage delivers a masterful performance that reminds us all that size matters not when we determine the power and worth of someone tremendous.
In spite of the obvious temptation to list episodes like The Rains of Castamere or The Battle of the Bastards, I believe that this is one of the best episodes of the series during a season that showcased Game of Thrones at its peak.
10. Supernatural – Swan Song
Aptly titled Swan Song is the final episode of Supernatural season 5 and Eric Kripke’s departure from the series. This is also a point commonly agreed among many critics about where the show peaked.
What works in this episode is what generally works for the entire series: The stakes are huge and yet at its core what matters most is family and a sense of belonging. Narrated by Chuck throughout ( a prophet at this point in the series), he begins the episode with the history of the Winchester’s car – The jet black 1967 Chevy Impala belovedly known as ‘Metallicar’. What follows is the climactic battle between good and evil as Sam and Dean have to stop the apocalypse from happening. At each stage is the growth of each character as Sam needs to redeem himself from ultimately causing the apocalypse in the first place and for Dean to trust Sam in fighting Lucifer in a no holds barred fight for possession of his, take your pick, vessel, body, soul. The character Bobby sums up the inner conflict at the core of this penultimate episode:
“What exactly are you afraid of… losing or losing your brother?”
The best part of the episode, apart from the endless star wars references, is the montage of iconic moments from the series with an almost absence of sound followed by the penultimate brotherly hug.
Despite Chuck’s misgivings about endings and finishing a story, this is a masterful finish for Kripke’s Swan Song.
The stress of managing student behaviour continues to be a major factor behind teachers leaving the profession. Teaching often feels like providing a service to a customer who doesn’t want it. Students nowadays are very different to what most parents or adults remember, as are the teachers.
There are many things to consider in trying to remedy this situation, but it’s clear that the toxic culture surrounding the teaching community needs a clear upheaval. In only a hundred years, we have turned education from something that was considered a privilege to an annoying nuisance in the way of young people doing whatever they want. This attitude does not breed success in the young people of today.
I often use the battleground analogy when discussing teaching but it especially rings true in the classroom setting. The nature of (generational) opposition to teaching often seems embedded in many communities, making it difficult. Often you get circumstantial reports of “I hated schools, my teachers were nasty to me but I still got a good job and I turned out just fine.” I can’t speak for the teachers of old, but I know the majority of the colleagues I’ve worked with in education are some of the most kind, empathic and patient people I’ve ever worked with. Many give up hours of their personal time to support struggling students achieve their best; this is often in spite of a deliberate resistance to their teaching from a mixed ability class. It’s a far cry from earlier days or the overly romanticised version that young and eager educators once entertained in their heads of Mr Keating and the “Oh Captain, my Captain” class of Dead Poets Society.
I have used the name Johnny in the title because it is often the default name given by educators in discussing a classroom management scenario. For example: “Johnny was completely disruptive in class today. He was constantly on his phone or calling out across the room or talking while giving instructions.” Sadly in some schools this ‘caricature’ of Johnny is not the exception, but rather the norm.
It doesn’t help that politicians often attack teachers or use them as the whipping boy for educational reform, or we become their guinea pigs to experiment with failing literacy and numeracy initiatives. Before I segue further into the great debacle of standardised testing, I’m talking about the poor representation of teachers by our pollies. Unfortunately, the general public look to this as a cultural measuring stick and we develop a ‘blame the teachers’ mentality for falling grades and declining standards. Before you blame the teacher and cast the first stone, maybe look towards the values set at home or the role models provided for in entertainment, in the media or across the sporting field.
“The needs of the one seem to outweigh the needs of the many.”
This flies in the face of past history and what we know our society was built on, but this seems to be the mentality of our culture, which is heavily exacerbated in the classroom. What appears to be lacking in some classrooms and often in households is the pursuit of the greater good but rather the pursuit of our own individual needs. Parents often fail to recognise that their child is quite disruptive and impacts on the learning of others. If they do see it they often double down and exacerbate the situation by blaming the teacher, the school or the system. Students can often see only their own individual needs and wants and can throw tantrums when their own individual wants are ignored. On top of this, there is pressure from on high for teachers to individualise all learning plans and differentiate for every student. This is hard enough in the primary school class of up to 30 and even more impossible when you teach up to 150 students in High School. When you get classes where you have several lessons being delivered at once this becomes untenable and exhausting for the modern teacher. Do we get rid of individual differentiation? Of course not, but some level of practicality and reason needs to be applied. Teachers need to focus on the greater student group and community as a whole with more external support provided to ensure individualised learning needs are catered for in an equitable manner.
Another large negative influence on behaviour and falling literacy levels is the introduction of the smart phone. This has been widely regarded by most educators and acknowledged in an interview with Finnish Education Expert Pasi Sahlberg published in the Sydney Morning Herald:
“Smartphones should be banned at primary level and high schools should “act quickly” to teach tech self-discipline to stem the damage they are causing children’s learning, warns world-renowned Finnish education expert Pasi Sahlberg.
He believes smartphone-related distraction is one of the main reasons why Australia and similar countries are sliding down Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings.
The problems with the Smart Phone are three fold:
1. They provide an endless distraction from the lesson in learning.
2. They are often a source of bullying through social networking sites like Snap chat and Facebook.
3. They become a needless game of tug of war between teacher and student, especially when the teacher finally in a fit of frustration attempts to confiscate the phone off a student who has spent most of their time ignoring the teacher and the lesson.
Banning phones may not be the solution but their restricted use could lead to different results. Students may find that they’re less distracted in class, memory retention and attention levels enhance, bullying incidents reduce and teachers gain valuable lesson time.
My last point is the oppositional culture surrounding the teacher-student partnership. Perhaps it stems from the Australian anti-establishment rebel-without a-cause attitude sown throughout history. Perhaps its embedded from previous generations who had inept teachers whose behaviour management strategies were simply targeted bullying of students. Perhaps it is because we are modelled on British and American society where certain groups of people have always had access to education and have become entitled in this area- never suffering from the impacts of poverty, high unemployment or having limited access to education. Often in the developing world, education is seen as a privilege that lifts people up and provides them with a chance to better their life. Is this something we take for granted in Australia? Otherwise, why we do have students constantly opposing teachers because they believe it is their right?
I find myself having to quote the line from Jerry Maguire:
– No, not ‘Show me the money!”
but “Help me help you” because we need to change the dynamic of the classroom; people need to realise the basic principle of teaching which is to help guide students. To realise that if you spend your entire lesson trying to teach manners and respect there is no time for anything else. Teachers are not the enemy, they are people trying to do their best in a flawed system.
To ignore these areas is to see our little Johnnys and Janies continue to spiral downwards into something truly unteachable.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and the desperate urge to watch the most revered of Christmas action films.
This blog is not denying Die Hard as the classic action Christmas film, merely celebrating another beloved Christmas action classic: we’re talking about Lethal Weapon One. Based on the same criteria used against other films like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon should be a worthy inclusion in your penultimate Christmas film viewing guide, for a number of reasons:
It takes place at Christmas
The film is very much set in the days leading up to Christmas, which is made even more obvious from the various Christmas props littered throughout each scene; sometimes the bad guy meets a sticky end being surrounded by Christmas paraphernalia.
Christmas decorations are even a major plot device, including a shootout that takes place in a business that sells Christmas trees (along with cocaine) or scenes where a man is shot through a carton of egg nog. It even concludes on Christmas morning.
2. It features a number of Christmas songs
The opening credits start with Jingle Bell rock, and the film continues to play Christmas ballads throughout, including: I’ll be Home for Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, The First Noel, Double Deck the Hall, and Deck the Halls. A very Christmassy contrast to the various tones of saxophone embedded throughout the film. There is even a shot of “A Christmas Carol” before Gary Busey’s character Mr Joshua blasts it with a shotgun and gives his answer “It’s goddamn Christmas!”
3. It has a number of Christmas messages
Every good Christmas film needs a couple of grand themes, or inspiring Christmas messages, and Lethal Weapon is no exception.
Like many good Christmas films, it has a number of key themes related to Christmas including: The importance of family and the Christmas spirit, hope, transformation and redemption, the latter of which we’ll explore next.
One of the key characters that represents the Christmas spirit is Roger Murtaugh. Roger embodies the Christmas spirit in spades- he is a loving husband and father who seems to relish every moment of his family time.
He is also a charitable man who sees the need for Riggs to reconnect with family. Roger also has hope, as he hopes to live another day with Riggs as his partner.
4. It’s a film about redemption
At the start of the film Riggs is suicidal. If you’re thinking suicide is a dark theme for a Christmas film, then look no further than It’s a Wonderful Life, in which Jimmy Stewart’s character spends most of the film contemplating ending his existence.
Much like It’s a Wonderful life, Lethal Weapon is a tale about redemption and transformation. Riggs goes through a very dark period, from a disturbing scene in which he loads his gun and is poised to shoot himself in the head (the whole time Bugs Bunny is in the background and singing deck the halls) to a man that has realised the importance of living.
Most of this transformation is guided by Roger, who envelops Riggs into his family, allowing Riggs to redeem himself and put his killer instincts into action to save the life of one of his children.
This transformation is best symbolised on Christmas morning where Riggs gives Roger a present: the bullet he once wanted to use on himself. Riggs has done a complete 180 by this point and in the true Christmas tradition, realises the value of life and family.
5.It was produced as a Christmas film
Producer of both Die Hard and Lethal Weapon Joel Silver has openly said that that they were designed to be Christmas films, in the hopes that people would watch them traditionally at Christmas time or to earn Christmas television syndication.
This gambit obviously worked as I know many would watch these films in the holiday season.
From the first page, you can start to see Beeden’s influences, and the narrative is all the better for it: Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and certainly a Monty Python-Esque brand of absurdism. ( I kept waiting for the Knights of Ni to arrive) Beeden introduces us to a story of two brothers, Greg and Ralph who embark on an epic journey to sell a valuable red stone in order to purchase a plough. The plot takes a series of enjoyable twists and turns, with a number of laughs along the way to tell a story that is as whimsical as it is dramatic. I’m also a big fan of multiple genre books, which makes Greed another reason to enjoy on a cold and otherwise dull night as it shifts from fantasy to comedy, drama with a sprinkling of action to please most Tolkien fans. It is the first in a series of tales, which I look forward to reading in the near future. One of the key strengths of Greed lies in its characterisation and the dark humour in the laconic wit of its omniscient narration much in the style of Douglas Adams and also Neil Gaiman.
For those with a warped sense of humour and love a good twist on conventional genre writing, this one comes highly recommended. Five chuckles!
A love story of happy newlyweds has its dreams shattered and torn away as the unthinkable happens. After Kate’s untimely death, Sam is struggling to pick up the pieces and mourn her passing. Kate refuses to let the limitations of life beyond death from stopping her to reach out and help Sam in his grief.
Overall, a solid read from Lukasavage. The best parts of the novel lie in the characterisation of the two protagonists, giving us a deeper insight into the connection beyond death, and the faint glimmer of hope that life goes along. There is also a well-crafted narrative arc that will please most readers.
There are a few minor corrections, the novel needs some formatting and at times the dialogue lapses into heavy exposition but overall its a satisfying read.
Von Kat takes the reader through the veil and introduces the character of Caroline, a wife who has suffered a fatal accident only to find herself staring straight into the afterlife and a ten year holiday back to Earth as a spirit. Was her accident really an accident and why is her husband’s mistress involved? On this voyage of discovery she has some strange encounters with various strange entities, poltergeists and other vengeful spirits. This narrative has a lot of potential and one of its greatest strengths lies in its plotting and characterisation. The plot went through a number of arcs that prevented it from being predictable and the characterisation of our protagonist Caroline is a welcome one. Overall, I found this a light but refreshing read.
The reason this is only 3 stars and not five lies in its execution. The dialogue is very predictable, cheesy and most of the supporting characters spout exposition dialogue straight out of a George Lucas film. The potential for these great world building scenarios was a missed opportunity – I would have loved to hear more about Von Kat’s take on the afterlife or Caroline’s visionary gaze through the haunted streets of London. Otherwise, this was an original and refreshing read that would benefit from a special author’s edition. Von Kat could add another 50 pages of settings that would really add to the narrative. Von Kat is also to be commended for her innovative take on the genre and I look forward to reading more in this genre.
A Solid Debut Effort Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
Without flaws is a fairly apt title for this debut novel from Diane Asther. What is even more remarkable is the age of the author, with a very impressive freshman effort. Without Flaws describes the turbulent lives of two very extraordinary twins , Zach and Zara who have been imprisoned due to their special mutant abilities. (I can see some X-men influences here). The opening is a significantly violent part of the book, but it adds to the sense of dread and dramatic tension as the events continue to escalate. In saying that though, it’s still suitable for a young adult audience.
Asther’s electric atmosphere throughout the book is a highlight; my only notes are that the novel still needs some editing in parts, as spelling and grammar issues surface occasionally, along with the confusion between alternating past and present tense.
Asther is to be commended for her epic thrills created throughout the novel and this is a fantastic contribution to the YA Sci-Fi genre.
Like many, I was caught up in the whirlwind of popularity surrounding Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz. I had to read it and like all manner of books and e-books allowed it to cloud over the senses and devour the content within. That’s the problem- with a rich layer of depth that could be afforded the historical context explored, the narrative often feels flat.
The story in its greater sense is mesmerising, a true survivor’s story that follows the harrowing ordeal faced by Lalo, A slovakian Jew that sacrifices his own life for his brother’s, leading him to Auschwitz and Birkenau. It is here he is given a reprieve from death by becoming the tattooist with the task of branding all the Jews that set foot within the camp. Lalo is a deeply divided person, having to take on the unenviable task of tattooing the numbers and also survive, while also finding his true love.
The issue with the book is the execution of the writing and what is missing. There is very little beyond the dialogue. There are no vividly detailed descriptions of the camps like you would find in Kenneally’s Schindler’s Ark. In fact, it seems accidentally claustrophobic as the story seems to only take place in two rooms and told largely through dialogue. Morris would have been better to adapt this as a play, as by her resume, she is more in her element writing script. In other hands, this could have been a true masterpiece.
Shows like Escape to the Chateau are on the rise, with both the appeal of house renovations and moving to the rural French countryside in a beautiful, rollicking delight of a large house set in luxurious surroundings. So the question is, what would the reverse be like? Let’s look at a situation right now that is happening among skyrocketing Sydney and Melbourne house prices.
So, picture this couple with a French Chateaux desperate to leave the French countryside to move to the glamorous Inner Sydney West. They’ve sold their Chateau for just over 500,000 Euros which roughly equates to about $800,000 Australian at this time.
For curiosity’s sake and after a small amount of research I came across these listings:
So what can they get for this $800,000 – $900,000 surplus in Sydney? Now say they are used to the custom of living in a house and not an apartment and…. yes, you guessed it….Not even a 3 bedroom house in Sydney’s Inner West. So, like many younger couples/ families they’re going to have to make some compromises in order to get the most value for money for their French Chateau.
At close glance, they could easily afford a 3 bedroom house in Rooty Hill, or an equivalent suburb. I’m sure they will become the talk of the town and not a single person would even dream of mocking their French accent. So speaking of dreams, are they now living the great Australian dream?
Huxley’s classic but timeless dystopian masterpiece
A dystopia that effortlessly disguises itself as a utopia: The premise of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World couldn’t be more timely as we enter 2021. A favourite in our household and now a popular series on Stan, Huxley’s Brave New World quickly has the reader immersed in a world both familiar and yet completely unrecognisable in the what is known as The World State in the year 2450.
“Hug me till you you drug me honey, kiss me until I’m in a coma,” are the familiar chants of the beta class of Future London as they learn from an early age to plunge into a life of extreme hedonism, engaging in constant sexual activity (with encouragement to indulge in many partners) while taking copious amounts of the drug soma. For some like Lenina, it is a lifestyle they enjoy…
Huxley’s classic but timeless dystopian masterpiece
A dystopia that effortlessly disguises itself as a utopia: The premise of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World couldn’t be more timely as we enter 2021. A favourite in our household and now a popular series on Stan, Huxley’s Brave New World quickly has the reader immersed in a world both familiar and yet completely unrecognisable in the what is known as The World State in the year 2450.
“Hug me till you you drug me honey, kiss me until I’m in a coma,” are the familiar chants of the beta class of Future London as they learn from an early age to plunge into a life of extreme hedonism, engaging in constant sexual activity (with encouragement to indulge in many partners) while taking copious amounts of the drug soma. For some like Lenina, it is a lifestyle they enjoy and these citizens remain ignorant to issues such as social engineering and stratification. For others like Bernard, this lifestyle cannot hide the ugliness created by the world around them.
Normally, I would begin the plot summary with ‘ The plot is straightforward’ but in this case it’s more complex. Brave New World starts with a group of boys being given a tour of the central hatchery where they are shown a method of fertilization that will produce thousands of identical embryos. Each is manufactured for a specific focus: Alphas are the leaders and epsilons are a network of servants and there’s everything else in between. The plot thickens when Bernard, an Alpha outsider decides to take his friend Lenina to visit an Indian Reservation in New Mexico for recreation, where he soon discovers the man John aka “the Savage’ is the illegitimate bastard of his boss. On a path of revenge, Bernard takes John and his mother from the reserve and subjects them to all manner of exploitation as a way of enacting his plan and to entertain the fickle masses of Alphas and Betas.
At the core of Brave New World is the search for identity in a totalitarian society socially engineered to allow the most fortunate a meaningless pursuit of hedonism, while thrusting others into servitude. Whether you’re an Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta or heaven forbid an epsilon, there is the all consuming undeniable fact that you are not free in this brave new World, and very open to exploitation as John ‘the savage’ quickly surmises. An all consuming but excellent novel with rather a chilling glimpse into a not-too-distant future.
Rob Lockett 
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