I sat and viewed David Lynch's sprawling Thespians-with-head spins flick Inland Empire last night. I am a massive fan of Lynch's variegated, often perplexing and poignant work, but I was underwhelmed by Inland Empire. It was nonsensical, purposeless, devoid of humour or real terror, lacking inspired cinematography and filled with one-dimensional characters I failed to empathise with. And don't get me started on the trashy models (inc. one who was a rougher version of Pink) dancing to Locomotion, Laura Dern's angst-ridden performance or the humanoid rabbits whose dull lives in a muted green room were accompanied by a laugh track.
LJ, August 28 2008.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
TWELVE DAYS IN THE TROPICS
I recently returned from twelve days away in tropical northern Queensland. We traveled from Cairns to Cape Tribulation and stopped at various points along the way. I was up there with 44 Yr. 9 students and several teachers from Loreto Normanhurst. The school calls this expedition Outreach.
There were many highlights... Snorkeling with green sea turtles, barracuda and blue-spotted rays, and seeing a female humpback whale slapping its tail repeatedly (a 'back off, buster' signal to approaching males that may be a threat to her calf) off Normanby Island (part of the Frankland Island group), talking to serene and welcoming Indigenous Australians on their traditional lands, walking under some of the most magnificent trees I've ever seen (kauris and figs, which were several storeys high), finding five species of bird I hadn't seen before (inc. the rare red goshawk), exploring evergreen vine-forest, Africanesque savannah and lava tubes at Undara, laughing with various wonderful people in a respite care centre on the Atherton Tableland and watching teenage Aboriginal dancers perform at the secondary school, Djarragun College.
It was an awesome, inspiring and enriching experience. Spending time away from the technology that I'm often pinned to (computers, cars, phones, iPods etc.) was liberating too.
LJ, August 26 2008.
There were many highlights... Snorkeling with green sea turtles, barracuda and blue-spotted rays, and seeing a female humpback whale slapping its tail repeatedly (a 'back off, buster' signal to approaching males that may be a threat to her calf) off Normanby Island (part of the Frankland Island group), talking to serene and welcoming Indigenous Australians on their traditional lands, walking under some of the most magnificent trees I've ever seen (kauris and figs, which were several storeys high), finding five species of bird I hadn't seen before (inc. the rare red goshawk), exploring evergreen vine-forest, Africanesque savannah and lava tubes at Undara, laughing with various wonderful people in a respite care centre on the Atherton Tableland and watching teenage Aboriginal dancers perform at the secondary school, Djarragun College.
It was an awesome, inspiring and enriching experience. Spending time away from the technology that I'm often pinned to (computers, cars, phones, iPods etc.) was liberating too.
LJ, August 26 2008.
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