Movie Review-Australia

While away on my working trip to Los Angeles, I finally found time to see a movie. At home, I am always too busy to sit still for the required 3 hours or so of movie time. I was staying at the Hilton LAX, which I might add is a really nice hotel on Century Blvd., only 5 minutes from the airport. I always judge a hotel by how comfortable the beds and pillows are and I love, love, love a bed that is dress in a sheet duvet on the bed rather than bedspreads which was the case here. The bed and pillows were divine however, what would have been a comfortable night rest on these heavenly pillows was ruined by the clank, clank, clank of the ice machine. Unfortunately my room was right across from the ice machine and unfortunately this hotel uses metal ice buckets. The sound of the ice cubes hitting that metal bucket in the middle of the night was deafening, which answers one of the most intriguing questions of the universe. Do people really get ice in the middle of the night? Yes they do!

A nice perk to this hotel, being stranded without a car, was that a shuttle to Manhattan Beach was provided, where it was that I saw the movie, Australia.

I am seldom moved to see movies, what with the cost of the movie, popcorn and soda will set you back a small fortune. I always sneek my water bottle and snacks with me. I've seen whole families buy hot dogs, drinks and snacks at the show, which gives dinner and a movie a whole new meaning. But Australia was one movie I wanted to see, no matter that I had to hunt down the theater in an area unknown to myself and walk two giant blocks away from the mall and the shuttle drop. After lunching on Baja Fresh, I found the 19 screen theater down the street just in time to catch the 2:25 matinee although it was already 2:40 when I got in, screen blackening to the opening scene. I couldn't have planned it better.

Australia was everything I had hoped it would be. A big epic drama, with romance, drama, suspense and bittersweet tenderness. I have read some reviews of the movie criticizing it's false grandeur and unreal history, for heavens sake, it's for entertainment value not a history lesson! The boy wonder, an unknown Brandon Walters as Nullah, with his singular most poetic line of the entire movie, "I will sing you to me" was mesmerizing, whose wide doe eyes enveloped you with a sense of wonder and innocents. I thought Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah was perfect in her role of aristocrat gone down under and Hugh Jackman, well there's a reason why he's People's sexiest man of the year. One word, WOW! And ladies, hold on to your seat with that scene of him showering in the outback, as my daughter would ask, "Do you think he's yummy?" Yes dear, he's way more than yummy!

To all the movie critics that might pan this movie, for it's lack of acting and accuracy, I say, Crikey mate, it's damn well great entertainment and if I wanted a history lesson or Shakespearean acting then I would see some Henry James movie. But this movie represents what movies used to be in the genre of Gone with the Wind or the likes of Pearl Harbor. I miss movies like this, I miss the sweeping scenes, the romance wishing I were the Nicole Kidman character being swept up in the arms of the Drover and leaving me with the affects of the movie long after I have left the theater. This movie should definitely be seen on the wide screen, so pay the money, buy the popcorn and soda and settle in for a great story.-Single D

Survivor Gabon-Bob In Charge

After that last tribal, Kenny is feeling like Professor Bob made a fool out of him with that whole fake idol thing. Kenny really plays the part of poor me really well. In exchange for comforting Kenny, Bob promises that if he wins the next immunity challenge he will give the idol to Kenny. Either he's a fool or a real game player. Is it my imagination or is Suzi flourishing in the jungle? It's amazing how much weight Kenny has lost but Suzi is still round and plump. For the reward challenge, need we say anything here, except that once again Professor Bob proves he's a force to be reckoned with at age 57. Bob wins a trip to a gorilla habitat, lunch and a shower and he takes along Crystal (because she has yet to win something) and Kenny. For all of Crystal's title of Olympic winner, she sucks at challenges. I liked the muu muus they were given to wear. Back at camp, Matty is trying to woo Sugar over to his side and it looked like she would remain steadfast to her alliance of Crystal and Kenny until Crystal makes the mistake of getting on Matty's case for no apparent reason. Cut to Sugar crying over injustice to an underdog. Sugar sure cries a lot. Again Bob wins the immunity challenge. Kenny is practically begging Bob to give him the immunity but Bob's answer to this is that he's not a target, therefore gracefully bowing out of his promise to give him the immunity. Amazing how Bob comes out smelling like roses in this maneuvering. Since Bob has the immunity, this spoils Kenny and Crystals' to get rid of the biggest threat this season. At tribal, Sugar knows that this will be the last chance to play the idol, so voting comes down to a three-three split between Matty and Crystal. Before the votes were read, Jeff does the whole speech thing about the idol and Sugar casually gives it to Matty, thereby cancelling his votes and in a turn around, Crystal is voted off. One thing about Crystal's departure, this is the first time during this whole thing, she displayed grace and sincerity. Seems like Bob and Sugar are poised to go all the way and surely if this happens, it will be interesting to see who becomes the biggest game player of all time.-Single D

Amazing Race-Finale

I had been out of town when the finale of Amazing Race was on, so I taped it, thinking that probably some website headline would spoil it for me. Well, that didn't happen, so I did manage to watch it with some hopes that the "horseshoe up the butt team" (in Ken's words) wouldn't win. But of course that was not to be. They were this season's strongest team with a good race for their money made by Ken and Tina. The final challenge of linking clues with various route markers, detours, pit stops was on your seat riveting. What made this whole episode get on my nerves was Tina's incessant complaining. Come on, take that darn helmet off. Didn't she just drive you crazy with her helmet doing that walking the log challenge? And Ken, he was just so patient with her. Of course we knew the Cinderella team of Andrew and Dan wouldn't make for a compelling race to the finish. The sloppy team managed once again to get a taxi that didn't know his way around Portland, Ore. Hey, it's America! It's not like Portland is that big. Good idea for Andrew to call the visitor bureau for that information, needless to say tho, they just couldn't keep up with the two strongest team. They just kept plugging away like Colombo and Inspector Clouseau with their third place finish. In the end, Nick and Starr win the money, but I think Tina was the biggest winner in this race, with Ken asking her again to marry him and giving her a ring. Hey Ken, one word RUN! -Single D