Drive My Car, a film by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
9 February 2022
Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ), trailer, is the latest feature from Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and tells the story of a recently widowed stage director coming to terms with his wife’s sudden death, and revelations about her life that surface after her passing. Drive My Car has been nominated in this year’s Oscars for Best Director, and in a first for a Japanese film, Best Picture.
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A day in the life of a librarian
9 February 2022
A day in the life of a librarian, or at least how library users might see a librarian’s day, by Chicago based American author John Howard Matthews. Quite possibly not one hundred percent accurate…
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Nominations for the ninety-fourth Oscars/Academy Awards
9 February 2022
The nominations for the ninety-fourth Oscars were unveiled overnight, and almost seem more notable for their exclusions rather than their inclusions.
For instance Lady Gaga and Jared Leto were not recognised for their roles in House of Gucci, ditto Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper for Nightmare Alley, and then arguably the big one, Denis Villeneuve missing out on a Best Director nomination for Dune, though the film is in the running for Best Picture.
On the other hand Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is in line for a dozen Oscar gongs, including Best Director and Best Picture, while Australian actors Nicole Kidman and Kodi Smit-McPhee, have also been nominated. The Oscars awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 27 March 2022.
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Toto’s Africa covered by Sydney DJ Dave Winnel
8 February 2022
Africa, recorded by American rock band Toto in 1982, which against the odds surely, became an anthem for millennials three or four years ago, has been covered by Sydney based Australian DJ and producer Dave Winnel, for Triple J’s Like A Version. Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you…
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The struggle to read classic books, but why bother?
8 February 2022
Alison Flood, writing for The Guardian in 2016, on the topic of classic books because there is some sort of obligation to do:
This week, YouGov tells us that only 4% of Brits have read War and Peace, although 14% wish they had; 3% have read Les Misérables, although 10% want to; and 7% have read Moby-Dick, with 8% aiming to.
Aside from my school days, when reading some of the classics was requisite, I’ve made little effort to pick any up since. That’s probably not the sort of thing I should say on a website where literature and books feature, but there you are. I did try though. Moby-Dick. The Great Gatsby. Pride and Prejudice. The Grapes of Wrath. Vanity Fair. East of Eden. War and Peace. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Much to my (sort of) shame, they were all DNFs, each and every one. All are great books I’m certain, and all contributed to making contemporary literature what it is, but they were titles I could not get into. But I didn’t start reading them because I felt an obligation to, I read them because they were hailed as highly revered works of literature. But most did little for me, and so be it.
Life is too short to read books you don’t want to, no matter how acclaimed they are. But maybe it’s me. I also have difficulty listening to a lot of music — some of which is considered classic — that was recorded prior to the turn of the century. Besides, it not like there is a shortage of contemporary works to read, there’s several lifetimes worth. If the classics aren’t for you, it’s simple, don’t waste time on them.
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Flee, a film by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
7 February 2022
Flee, trailer, an animated documentary by Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen, recounts the story of Amin, who left Afghanistan as a child, and settled in Denmark. As he prepares to marry his boyfriend, he confides in a friend, sharing a story about his past he has so far kept secret from everyone.
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The impact of COVID lockdowns on new authors
7 February 2022
Newly published authors are among those whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID lockdowns of the last two years, writes Mark Rubbo, managing director of independent Australian book retailer Readings. Bookshop exposure is integral in building an author’s profile, and is something many new authors have missed out on recently, with people staying at home because of restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.
For most first-time authors, exposure in bookshops is very important in establishing a market for a book, be it a chance encounter, a recommendation or a purchase triggered by some form of publicity. If the book is any good, then word of mouth builds a more sustainable demand. Many of the books released in the past two years risk becoming Covid orphans.
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Veronica Gorrie wins 2022 Victorian Prize for Literature
4 February 2022
Veronica Gorrie has been named winner of the 2022 Victorian Prize for Literature, for her 2021 book Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience, a memoir which recounts her childhood, and service as an Aboriginal officer with the police force in both her home state of Victoria, and Queensland.
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When will Wordle run out of five letter words?
4 February 2022
Fans of riotously popular word game Wordle need not fret — for now at least — about the daily challenge running out of five letter words. According to WordFinderX, there are over 158,000 five-letter English language words, depending which dictionary you refer to. That’s several centuries of daily puzzles.
On the other extreme, we are told there are a mere 5,350 words only available to word games. Even so, that makes for fourteen and a half year’s worth of units of language. Plenty of time to worry about what to do next. Let the fun continue.
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Book reading suggestions for February 2022
4 February 2022
Ten books to read in February, put together by Jason Steger, books editor at the Sydney Morning Herald. A nice mix of Australian and international titles, fiction and non-fiction, including The Furies by Mandy Beaumont, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia, by Wendy Mitchell, and Found, Wanting, by Natasha Sholl.
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