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1978 film “Mouth to Mouth” includes scenes of Melbourne anti-freeway protests

The recent anti-motorway protests in Melbourne are nothing new. In fact the very same area was subject to protests in the 1970s, when it was proposed to link the Eastern Freeway to the Tullamarine Freeway by way of an aboveground link, by converting Alexandra Parade to a freeway, ploughing through neighbourhoods in Collingwood, Carlton and  ... [More]

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Film TV

DVD vs Blu-Ray picture quality

I never quite believed I’d see much of the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray on an 80cm (32 inch) TV. But with brand-name Blu-Ray players now below $100, and releases such as the complete set of Star Wars movies out on Blu-Ray, this past Christmas seemed like the right time to jump in and try  ... [More]

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Film

Can you name the man on the couch?

…and if so, how many seconds did it take you? Update 8pm: Yes, many guessed, some didn’t. I came across it when I was at home on Monday. Unfortunately I didn’t stay tuned… apart from George Cole (better known as Arthur Daley), Sid James and Joan Sims, there was another familiar face somewhere in there,  ... [More]

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Film

Tron (and why home theatre is so popular)

I don’t see a lot of movies in the cinema, so call me slow if you like, but I think I’ve worked out why big TVs and DVDs and Bluray are getting so popular. Freaking $18.50 for an adult, $13.50 for kids? (And this is at 10am on a weekday — I don’t know if  ... [More]

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books Film music

Quick reviews

A few quick reviews of things I’ve read or watched recently… (The DVDs fall into the category of “I’ve been meaning to watch that; I’ll buy that if it’s less than $10. Ooh, there it is!” One book was borrowed, the other I got for Christmas.) A Hard Day’s Night — got this cheap on  ... [More]

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Film Net

The General

A few weeks ago we watched Buster Keaton’s The General the other day. It’s public domain, a free download from the Internet Archive. Very funny stuff, and some quite remarkable stunts considering they had so few safety precautions compared to nowadays. I had been pondering if it was rude to talk during a silent movie.  ... [More]

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Film music

Loud

Top CDs/songs to play really loudly when you realise you no longer have neighbours to annoy, and even if you did annoy someone you can’t be evicted because you’re moving next week anyway: Hoodoo Gurus: 1000 Miles Away Paul Kelly: Deeper Water the Edge Of Darkness soundtrack Most of Who’s Next, obviously and Led Zeppelin  ... [More]