A New Level of Awesome: Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors has its roots in the Spiegletent, during the Sydney Festival. Having been one of its most popular shows, the producers rightly decided to push it on a national tour, with the Sydney run closing on the 14th of May. Headlined by the fabulous iOTA, the show features a variety of talents, from the usual gymnasts to... Well, let's not spoil that part.

To say that it is a musical extravaganza will not give it its due credit. It's quite more than that, and because I don't want to do spoilers, I would like to leave it at that. I went in not knowing what to expect, and they blew my socks off. I think people should leave that show with that kind of feeling too. I will tell you that they have loud music, strong strobe lights, smoke machines and attitude in spades.

This is an absolute gem of a show and no review can ever do it justice. Act I is the stronger of the two in terms of performance, but Act II has better songs with a very unconventional ending. If iOTA ever needed to prove his talent, this closing number is it, his winning ticket, the one everyone can take home so they can say "Wow". The production design is astonishing, from stage to costumes to makeup. It reminds me somewhat of Carnivale meets Madonna's The Girlie Show. This show is so polished you'd think it was made of glass - but really, it's just smoke and mirrors.

If you are in Sydney and can spare the time, go to the Seymour Centre before it's too late, and if you have any ounce of culture in you, this is the show you **deserve** to see.

Smoke and Mirrors: 4.5 slices

A Film of Nordic Proportions: Thor (3D)

I should have written this a week ago after I had watched it, but the 5-day weekend caught up with me and I just needed that little breather from everything, really.

Thor is based on Marvel's comic hero of the same title. Being a Marvel reader as a child, I was quite excited to see where they would go with this film. I felt that, as long as they didn't go down the Fantastic Four route, they should be alright.

I am happy to note that it was not just alright - it took the whole comic-movie genre up a notch. Kenneth Branagh made sure that the movie followed the comic's main concepts but discarded everything that didn't work on film. Hence it had a very contemporary feel and visual images in comics, like Asgard or Loki's ridiculous costume, looked quite believable on screen.

The acting was alright and my instinct tells me that the director managed to squeeze all acting potential from the lead actor whose arms are large enough to have their own post code. Under any other director, I reckon he would have gone down the Keanu Hall of Fame. Natalie Portman, who seems hellbent on getting every single acting assignment that didn't have a strand of acting challenge, after her gobsmackingly fantastic performance in the brilliant mind bomb that was Black Swan, was just ok. She didn't have much to work with and the development of her love affair with the hero seems raw at best.

But luvey-dovey stuff is not what Thor is all about. It's about raw muscle, swirling Mjolnirrs, fast action and eye candy in all shapes, sizes and orientations - and Thor brings those in spades. Add a well-handled classic story of redemption among Nordic gods, and you have a good two-hour escapist flick that deserves your time and money. We watched the 3-D version, but heaven knows the 2-D version should still be more than worthwhile.

Thor: 4 slices.

A Different 3D: Pina, a 3D Dance doco

Thanks to Sydney Film Festival's overly enthusiastic emailing system, I frequently get bombarded by opportunities for freebies and my running rule is, surely out of ten competitions, I would most likely get to win at least once. And that, ladies and gents, is how I got freebies to the world's first 3D dance film, Pina.

This documentary is really all about Pina Bausch, an icon in modern dance who passed away a year or so ago. The documentary presents an intimate look into how she inspired the multitude of dancers whom she worked with and what inspired Pina's work through the years, including the iconic "Cafe Mueller", which was featured heavily in Almodovar's wondermous "Talk to Her".

What I find really interesting about the film is that it shows snipets of Pina's works, theatrical dance masterpieces which marry strength and fragility in backdrops reflecting elemental features. Add the 3D aspects of the film, and it should have been enough in the film to sustain interest in Pina.

Yet somehow, the movie loses steam midway through, and by the time you get to hear the 7th dancer's take on Pina and her style of choreographing, you lose interest in the never-ending gushes for Pina's understated genius as a choreographer and a mentor. I think the movie needed a stronger angle in presenting such an interesting dancer and choreographer, and the way it was handled was just too simplistic and amateurish.

Admittedly, if I were a professional dancer, I may have found this movie gripping. But sadly, speaking as a regular Joe, it just didn't keep me engaged.

Pina: 2.5 slices.

A One-Two Movie: Sucker Punch

It is very difficult for me to talk about this movie with a spoiler or two, so if you have issues with that, you might want to stop reading now.

Sucker Punch, written and directed by Zack Snyder, had a lot of hype going into it - or maybe I just feel that way because I saw so many ads for it at the university I worked for. Let's face it - if there was a movie geared towards the 18-25 male demographic, this movie was it. The fact that it has such a BioShock look only adds to the movie's drive to woo the gaming gents - add five scantily clad female leads, and well, there you have it. Sex in the City meets Lara Croft meets Playboy.

Don't get me wrong - I love the look, the action scenes are awesome a good 90% of the time, and the concept as a whole is really fantastic. I was seriously ready to lap this movie like it was made from nougat. I actually imagined Zack Snyder talking to studio execs with the concept storyboards, and the studio boys just going ooh-aaah, 50-year old men letting their prepubescent fantasies run amok.

The problem is there is a big distinction between pretty storyboards and their proper execution. The movie starts out really well, but somehow weakens as the movie goes along. Maybe, as my friends Freuben state, it is the whole tedious list concept which makes the plot fairly predictable, or the incoherent use of fantasy vs reality.

One great thing about the movie though is the soundtrack. The songs they've chosen are stellar and in some parts of the film, they overshadow the film itself. I have not been this excited to buy a soundtrack album since Baz's Romeo + Juliet, and everyone I've talked to agrees.

However, that isn't enough reason to watch the film. If you're that keen on watching it, I suggest leaving your brain at the cinema doors and hope that there is enough eye candy to keep your id preoccupied for 2 hours.

Sucker Punch: 2.5 slices.

An Amazing Atrocity: KFC's The Double Down

For those who have not been bombarded by either the ads or the hoopla surrounding the darn product, KFC released (for! a! limited! time! only!) The Double Down which is basically an all-meat, no-bread sandwich. How does that work? Two slices of bacon, two slices of cheese in between a sauced-up pair of salty deep fried chicken fillets. That's it - a very simple concoction designed for the needs of the primal man (or at least that is how their marketing makes it out to be).

What do I think? 5 slices for taste, 5 slices for grease factor, 0 slices for the after shocks. Midway through the "manwhich", I just had to stop to ask myself if it was worth it. Of course, my sensible side was beaten to submission by my greedy side (who simply wanted to gorge on forward) and my cheapskate side (who repeats the same phrase over and over in my head with a mum-like voice "But hijo, don't waste your food").

However, for the next two hours, my stomach experienced pains that could only be appropriately described as earthenware shattering. So yeah, it was **that** bad. Plus my heart began racing as though it was being chased Jack Nicholson-style by my Lipitor medication.

So what do I think? Overall, 1.5 stars. Great to try but given the hell to pay, I'll pass. Maybe next life.

A Darn Fine Performance: Belle and Sebastian Live

For those who are not in the know, Belle and Sebastian are a Glasgow-based band known for their genre-defiant music that lingers somewhere between alternative and pop-folk. They have a very strong retro sound - and it's very easy to bop a head to their music. I personally find that the singer uses controlled vocals that make for a smoother sound to the music, and whether that appeals to you or not, well, that's more of a personal thing, I guess. I myself am not necessarily the biggest fan - I won't complain if they're in the background but I won't actively hunt down their latest album.

Live, however, is a different story. I was fortunate enough to see them when they played at the Sydney Opera House. We could have gone to see them when they played at The Metro, a much more intimate venue but given its reputation for sticky, beer-stained carpets and expensive low end drinks, thanks but no thanks.

The band certainly had a stronger sound live. The vocals were fuller and lacked that softer edge that their songs are known for. I personally liked it more and for me, for a band to sound better live is a good thing. The singer had massive energy on stage and for the first time, I saw people standing up and dancing - a rare feat in a venue like the Opera House.

Belle and Sebastian live: 4.5 slices.

A Most Random Comparison: Moth Traps

Now that I do a longer commute to work, I really should take time out to write on the blog more often - even if it is with random stuff... And it doesn't get more random than moth traps.

See, I hate moths. As a baker, I have thrown out bags and bags of flour in the past, simply because moths got into them - such a waste, really. As autumn approaches, they have again come out in droves, leaving their evil larvae in the nooks and crannies of our kitchen cupboards.

I initially wanted to get moth balls, but realized that, at best, they drive out the moths which would only find refuge in our parts of the house. No, I wanted to take the offensive. I wanted to go Rambo on their fuzzy bums and take them out like the pests that they are.

When I got to the supermarket, I only had two options - either Hovex or Envirosafe. Both were pheromone-based traps which lured moths onto very sticky paper. They are both very basic tent-shaped traps but really, didn't need anything more elaborate. They both were the same price, and came in pairs but I had no idea which was better... So I bought both.

The Envirosafe was the bigger one in terms of size, and uses a foil-wrapped pheromone pack which you stick to the roof of the tent. It claims to last for three months, and I guess we can put that to the test. The adhesive it uses is very sticky and reminds me of industrial-strength fly traps. When the moths came into the tent, they really didn't get out. Sadly the problem is that the moths weren't too excited to bite the bait. Sure, the trap still attracted them, but the attendance was less than impressive and reminded me of those soirees hosted by social outcasts - everyone was welcome but only a handful ever came.

Now Hovex was the smaller of the two traps, and used an exposed block of pheromone which you stuck onto the wall of the trap. The sticky paper wasn't so sticky so there were some moths that flew in and out, sadly. However, the exposed pheromone made it really popular in the moth community and I had to get a second Hovex after a few days because they just packed it in there so tightly, you'd think it was Big Day Out.

so the verdict: Hovex. The stronger pheromone makes it a more useful trap and I would suggest you get two packs, because the party just doesn't stop with Hovex.

Hovex: 4 1/2 slices.
Envirosafe: 3 1/2 slices.