Woof-o-meter :-
0-Die Bastard : 1-Crap : 2-Rubbish(watchable) : 3-OK : 3.5-Nice : 4-Good : 4.5-Very Good : 5-WOW
Other Movies seen, but at home - Other Movies
27.05.22 : Interceptor - movie
Action , Adventure, Drama : One Army captain must use her years of tactical training and military expertise when a simultaneous coordinated attack threatens the remote missile interceptor station she is in command of.
Now I know why this film isn't playing at other cinemas, it's a B-grade TV movie, ie, it's Netflix. It's a modern B-grade action TV movie, ie, the action/special effects is decent for 2022, but the acting, dialogue, logic/happenings is bad - thankfully not Battleship(2012) or Pacific Rim(2013) bad -. I also had trouble hearing the main actor because she has such a strong ascent, but that's probably due to age and hearing loss. Ok, if you don't have any expectations. 2
26.05.22 : Last Seen Alive - movie
Action , Mystery, thriller : A man whose soon-to-be ex-wife mysteriously vanishes at a gas station. The film delves into the town's criminal underbelly while running from the authorities in a race against time to find her.
It's not so much a action film, but more a harrowing/upsetting drama. I can handle the kidnapping of an innocent in an action film, because it's short, it has a reason/purpose, and you know they are going to be saved by the end, but when you have sleazy characters, with no reason for it, the hopelessness and injustice gets harrowing. Couldn't be bothered sitting there for 2 hours upset so I split at 1 hour and just read the rest of the story on Wiki. 1
25.05.22 : Celebrity Letters And Numbers - live recording : NEP Studios Sydney Eveleigh
Gen Fricker, Harley Breen, Concetta Caristo, Andy Saunders(Dictionary Corner)
It's hard to compare the recording to what is transmitted on TV, ie, long but funnier Vs short but sterilised for TV, but I think the recording was funnier than the TV show because it has all the rude ad-lib stuff that gets cut for the overly sensitive winging TV audience. What I noticed about this recording is it's more pedantic than other recordings I've been to, ie, if there is a slight wording mistake it gets re-recorded, which is not really a problem because they don't reset the recording but rather just say the line again straight away, ie, no stopping. Sorry forgot to take a pic - doh -, but the gossip in this series is Lilly is 33 weeks pregnant. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.5
24.05.22 : How to Please a Woman - movie
Comedy, Drama : When her all-male house-cleaning business gets out of control, a mature woman must embrace her own sexuality, if she is to make a new life for herself.
It's a fun little film. Nice. 3.5 - $10 + $3.50
24.05.22 : Cracking Comedy in Aid of Women and Children First : Leicester Square Theatre - NextUpComedy live stream
Vix Leyton (MC) – Welsh comic. Podcast 'The Comedy Arcade'. Nominated Leicester Comedy Awards.
James Acaster – Best Comedy Nominee Edinburgh Fringe 2012-16. Podcasts Off Menu with Ed Gamble
Daniel Foxx
Sindhu Vee – Live at the Apollo, House of Games, Sex Education
Mike Wozniak – Man Down, Taskmaster, winner Amused Moose Laugh Off 2008
Jenny Ryan
Maisie Adam – Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You, QI
Elf Lyons – The Stand-Up Sketch Show, Culture Hour, The Dog Ate My Homework.
Nathan Caton – Don't Hate The Playaz, Channel 4's Comedy Gala, Russell Howard's Good News.
Olga Koch – nominated Best Newcomer Edinburgh Fringe 2018, Best Show Leicester Comedy Festival 2020
I was watching and kept getting constant déjà vu, to the point I was wondering if this was live or just a Nextup on-demand video. And that's when I worked out that most of the comics were in the last special, and that they were doing the same routines. It was fine, but for me you can imagine why it was a bit familiar. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5 - $20.50.jpg)
22.05.22 : Madeleine Stewart - So Brave : Factory Theatre
I'm kind-of used to young comics having slow and sparse sets, ie, not much material, but this show is insane how much material it's got. It's along the lines-of US comic levels of material, just constant line after line. It had a bit about disabilities, but mostly was about here sex life. This is not delightful, ie, not that funny but nice to watch, this is actually lol comedy where you actually laugh. Super fun, and quite impressive for someone so young, ie, she has the skill/material of a next tier comic. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75 - $20.jpg)
22.05.22 : Ashley Fils-Aime : Factory Theatre
That's weird, I don't remember any shows in this container that were good, ie, they seen to relegate lower comics here, and now there has been 2 in a row. When I saw "from Haiti to Miami to L.A", I thought it would be worth the a risk on an unknown because they've done the US circuit, ie, they have to be good. And this guy was exactly what I was expecting, ie, a fast-talking US comic with a lot of material that is seriously funny. Lots of good simple stuff - I like jokes that aren't serious -, ie, moving to Australia and all the weird stuff we do, and the immigration stuff, ie, hoops you have to jump through, of moving here and getting married to an Australian. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75 - $20
21.05.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
Fiona Cox(MC), Harry Jun, Ange Lavoipierre, Laura Coleman, Jack Wright, Jackson Stewart, Nat Damena, Rohan Arneil, . That was a level higher than normal, and actually it turned out to be a bit of a bargain due to it being quite good. Fiona has this subdued delivery, but I kind-of like that because it reminds me of Amanda Gray. Other standouts, ie, they were good, were Harry, Jack, and Nat. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75 - $16 + $10
20.05.22 : Father Stu - movie
Biography, Drama : Follows the life of Father Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption.
It takes a while to get used to the character because he has this dumb confidence that borders on arrogance, ie, it's annoying. He is also charming, and those bits are quite fun. It's a bit up and down, ie, some chuckles, lots of long unremarkable/mundane, and some dark, but overall it didn't have enough to be entertaining/compelling. 2.5 - $9
19.05.22 : Daniel Townes - Grinding : Factory Theatre
I was just thinking how all the good mid-tier comics from 10 years ago would crush it today, because the level of funny comics have dropped down to such a low level, and it's Daniel Townes that was one of those comics from the past. Unfortunately it just wasn't as good as his old material. This one was pretty much all about people he knows/saw dying, which isn't a deal breaker because Daniel can turn-it-around with gags, it's just that the whole thing just wasn't that funny. I think at best it was a $25 show, but the added transaction fee made this a $35 show, and it just wasn't at that level. I was dreading this being a repeat, now I wished it was a repeat with his South African travel story, his airport story, even his uvula story. Pretty disappointing. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3 - $35.50
19.05.22 : Chris Nguyen - It's Pronounced Nguyen : Factory Theatre
I wanted to go - someone new -, then I didn't - it's in a horrible shipping container -, but then I went, and it was pretty good. I've never heard of this guy, and it is his first solo show, but Asians usually do this good self-deprecating humour so it was worth a shot, and in fact the chuckles are so consistent throughout the show it got fatiguing, in a good way. Something that actually makes you laugh, ie, not just feel good. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75 - $15
18.05.22 : Floyd Alexander-Hunt - Highly Strung : Factory Theatre
The face belies the filth, ie, looks wholesome, but says very rude stuff, and that makes it more funny, eg, "I have a double degree in music............................and sucking cock", but overall it's pretty delightful, ie, maybe not lol funny, but super nice/charming. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $20
15.05.22 : The Game is Afoot! An Improvised Sherlock Holmes Mystery : Factory Theatre
I made a mistake with this show, because I should've also gone to the show the day before. That was the best thing I've seen this year - actually the past 3 years -, because it was like the old days with the GOAT's of Impro. I can't say they were at their 5 star peek like in the 90's/00's - you need to do Improv on a regular basis or you lose your sharpness -, but it was a great/fun show. That was a good shot in the funny bone. Crowd : 4 - Me : 4.25 - $20.jpg)
12.05.22 : Greg Larsen - We All Have Bloody Thoughts : Factory Theatre
It's taken something like 5 or 6 year to finally see a Larsen's show, and that's because the 3 or 4 shows that were advertised in that past were all cancelled and pulled at the last minute before I went to them. The first time I saw Greg on TV was a swipe left moment, and that's because he didn't look like a jolly giant, but more an angry white guy with an agenda. But after seeing his comedy that switched, because it was along the lines of quirky/crazy Uni student humour - it's the stuff that really appeals to me -. Well he was good, but it wasn't quirky/strange stuff, more conventional storytelling stuff. I liked it, I just wished I laughed more. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5 - $34.50
11.05.22 : Heath Franklin - Renaissance of Stupidity : Factory Theatre
Heath Franklin as himself has never been as funny as his Chopper character, but this show seems a level lower than that. This is a first run mid week trial show, so you shouldn't expect perfect, but I don't see how it's going to be much better tomorrow. Old Heath was always in control, calm, and without much emotion, ie, usually subtle snide remarks. This Heath is more angry/emotional and direct. As an example, current Heath says "the Beatles are f@cked, they sole all their music from Chuck Berry. Where as old Heath would've said :"Didn't Chuck Berry write some good songs, like Love me Do(a Beatles song). Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 2.5 - $32.50
10.04.22 : Dragon Friends Season 8 - Live D&D Comedy Show : Comedy Store
Usually by this point in a season it's kicked-off with something interesting/exciting, eg, flying a out of control ship upside-down while. This ep was just taking a letter to an opposing army's King. There was no Dungeon Daddy Dave, and I don't really like the ones when Dave is not DM-ing. Basically Dave is the only one smart and quick enough to tax the Improv skill of the others, and even though we don't like it when the Dragon Friends lose, it's kind-of a necessity to make things more interesting, ie, no conflicts and there is nothing to generate emotions that make it memorable/substantial. It's kind-of why all the talent/quiz shows look for a tragic back-story. Basically the night was no Dave, less d!ck jokes, and more talking, be it directionless talking - maybe not directionless, more small talk with no substance -. Maybe the same level as last ep, maybe a bit less, but something around that. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.25 - $25
10.05.22 : Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - movie
Action, Adventure, Fantasy : Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.
They seem to write big/long/travels-a-lot stories for Dr Strange, and that makes it more interesting than a normal action film. This one is no exception, and in fact is probably the biggest Dr Strange story so far. You can tell it's good/interesting, when the time just flies by. 4 - $10
07.05.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
Kyle Legacy(MC),Andrew Hamilton, ?, Kathryn Mae Thomas, Billy D'Arcy, Tom Witcombe, Andrew Hastings, Bonnie Tangey, Ryan Sim - list probably wrong because we have to clap when they announce the names and you can't hear them -.
The crowd can be a bit subdued here - probably because they can only react to the level of the comedy, ie, mild comedy mild clapping -, but Kyle Legacy(MC) forced them to have fun with his wicked "say what you see" crazy ad-lib crowd work. The other standout was Bonnie Tangey, with her comedy stylings of delivering crazy sh!t with a dead-pan straight-faced - it's a bit like Elliot Goblet -. As for the rest they were ok, but there were two repeats that I pretty much remember their whole routine. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.25 - $16 + $10
06.05.22 : Mike Goldstein – Still Got it! : Factory Theatre
He kind-of has that air of fast talking, lots good jokes in rapid succession, NY comic, just not fast, and not as many good jokes. I have seen him once doing a short set, and I think he was ok - it was 2017 and I don't remember -, and on TV he does come up with killer one-liners, there's just something about his face that I find a "deal breaker", ie, the appearance on not being funny, so I thought I better see his whole set and see if he's any good. Well he's kind-of good, ie, better than a young comic, just not as good as a pro comic. Basically anyone that sees him will have a good time, ie, won't be disappointed. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5 - $30.25
05.05.22 : Ahmed Zubb – The Kebab Panel Project : Factory Theatre
Ahmed Zubb and friends are back this time they're all on a Panel. With a show called 'The Kebab Panel Project', it's a talk show panel program featuring Ahmed Zubb(Rodney Todd), Craig Andersen, Belinda Andersen-Hunt, Will Erimya and Eric Hutton, and with surprise guest Tahir. It's always good, because it so scuff, ie, a lot is improvised. As an example, I don't know the crowd response because Ahmed made everyone walk out at the end without clapping - lol. Guaranteed fun, because it's stupid. Crowd : ? - Me : 3.75 - $20.30.jpg)
04.05.22 : Sara Pascoe - Success Story (work in progress) : Enmore Theatre
It's gotta be the bargain of the festival. Sara Pascoe, ie, famous, intimate room, she's good, and only $25. Even though it was a work in progress, the main gist of it was that she wanted to get on TV from a child. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75 - $26.jpg)
01.05.22 : Kevin Jin - Country Boy : Enmore Theatre
It's ME, not Phil Wang - lol -. I've seen the guy like 100 times doing announcements at the Sydney Comedy Festival and he seems pretty fun/affable, but I haven't seen him doing comedy - I did see him once doing a story night -. So I figured I better find out if he's good incase I've been missing something worth seeing. Well he's good, it's just that it's a bit hard to explain. It's like the actual gags are only ok, ie, not super, but his natural personality/delivery is so good that it makes up for the gags and makes the show quite good. You won't be disappointed because he's a lot of fun, it's just that you'll only laugh at about 75% strength. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $25
30.04.22 : Thao Thanh Cao - Marmalade : Enmore Theatre
It's nice enough, it's just that it ends sad, ie, has a serious message. The first half is comedy, but the second half turns into "truth bombs", and it's kind-of a bit too real to be funny, eg, fleeing Vietnam and nearly dying when their boat runs out of fuel and is lost at sea for 42 days, racism, nearly bleeding to death as a baby because the talcum power had the blood thinner/anti coagulant Warfarin in it. Fun, and then not so fun. Ok. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.5 - $ 32.35
28.04.22 : Danielle Walker - Nostalgia : Factory Theatre
It's all the bat-sh!t crazy stuff her family gets up to. Basically to country folk it's everyday occurrences, but to everyone else it's some pretty weird stuff, eg, her grandfather digging his own grave when he's not dead, and then using the grave for a swimming pool. It's not one of those super laugh shows, but it still is very good, ie, super nice/sweet. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75 - $ 25
27.04.22 : Dr Karl’s Fact vs Fiction : Seymour Centre
It started with Dr Karl showing the differences between science, pseudo-science, and deniers, ie, science fact based that self corrects, where as the others can just make any sh!t up. The rest was mainly about viruses and the paleo diet, ie, there is no paleo diet, because different areas of the planet had different diets, ie, you eat what you can find because food is scarce in the wild - you wonder why people die of hunger when they get lost in the bush, considering paleo is all around them lol. Some bits Dr Karl probably went too in-depth for a general audience, but overall it was good. 3.5 - $0
26.04.22 : David O'Doherty - whoa is me : Enmore Theatre
Opps, I stuffed that one up - lol -. To save the transaction fee I buy the ticket at the box-office on the night - transaction fees would add $200 to the $1K I spend per year at Century Venues -. Last time I got a good seat at the front, but unfortunately this time there were no good seats available - I've got long legs and a short trunk so I am too low in seats and can't see -, So I pocketed the $50 and left. The problem was on the way home I remembered that I got there late last time when they were releasing the unused complimentary seats near the front. Basically I got there too early this time rather than trying at the last minute. Oh well, them's the breaks.
26.04.22 : The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - movie
Action, Comedy, Crime : In this action-packed comedy, Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, channeling his iconic characters as he's caught between a superfan (Pedro Pascal) and a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish).
I thought it would have been funnier, but the first half had enough amusing bits to make it ok. Unfortunately the second half turned into an unspectacular action film, ie, not funny, and that kind-of made it a bit uninteresting. They tried to add something quirky, ie, an imaginary younger Cage playing his ego, but they should've really kept up the stupid stuff in the 2nd half and it would've been better. 3 - $10
23.04.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
Eric Hutton(MC), Thomas Orr, Maddie Southall, Sath Nadesan, Gerard McGowan, David Woodhead, Guneet Kaur, Laura Coleman - list could be wrong because I'm not good with names/faces -
There was only one that was mild, with all the rest being good, and in fact you could see a few get better with all the practice of multiple appearances since the room started, ie, they didn't standout at the start of the year, but were natural/comfortable and on-fire tonight. There is a problem of repeats with a regular crowd, ie, they remember the jokes, but when they get good like that it seems like a new routine. I would like to see Eric do the old stuff - it's been a decade or two so no one's going to know it -, because the few times I've seen him lately he hasn't been as killa as back then. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.5 - $16 + $10.jpg)
20.04.22 : Fern Brady - Autistic Bikini Queen : Comedy Store
There was a bit I remembered from somewhere - maybe Live at the Apollo - about her wanting to be unplugged if in a vegetate state. There was also stuff about her, strict Catholic upbringing, boyfriend, and being on the spectrum. Not laughtastic - could just be me -, but it was nice enough. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $31.50.jpg)
19.04.22 : Everything Everywhere All at Once - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : An ageing Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.
The trailer didn't look good at all, but because the Sci-Fi concept of switching characters from different universes looked interesting, I thought I would give it a chance. Well I think they needed to workshop it more so it's more coherent and obvious of the character swaps, ie, they use a head jerk rather than something like a flash of light, because it looked like a bunch of random scenes tenuously linked together. PS : It's better if you know this before seeing the movie, but the mechanism for the switch is, think of yourself in the other universe, do something weird/painful/disgusting/gross to shock yourself, and press the green button. It's also verging on surreal, and I don't like surreal because it's an easy get-out, ie, why think of a reason why something is happening when you can say a bagel did it. Basically the whole film feels like a art student project than a anything special. 2 - $0
13.04.22 : Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : Albus Dumbledore assigns Newt and his allies with a mission related to the rising power of Grindelwald.
Long, slow, dark, depressing, and political, without much that is fun/interesting, eg, the first action/fun bit is over 1hr in, with the only other near the end. Harry Potter was cute and fun, this is basically like others in the series, ie, not compelling/interesting, so it becomes just another forgettable film. 2.75 - $10
09.04.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
Concetta Caristo(MC), Robyn Reynolds, Joe Shaffer, Bridget Hassed, Marty Bright, Ben Ellwood, Andrew Hastings - the posted list changed on the night, so some are missing/wrong -
Joe Shaffer and Ben "angriest comic in SYD" Ellwood were the best, with all the others being ok/decent except for one. I guess we kind-of wished it was funnier, but that's the level to expect for the price point($15). The problem is when you go to a new room you laugh more because of the novelty/first time excitement, but if you keep going to the same room, that wears out and it winds up standing on the laughs it produces, ie, a room gets a big crowd when it opens, but if it's not super funny the crowd will taper. To be fair the crowd was quiet tonight, which is expected due to the above, but it was kind-of ok. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3 - $16 + $10
08.04.22 : The Lost City - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.
It has the same feel as the old Sandra Bullock comedies, eg, Miss Congeniality(2000), it's just that it's not as funny/good as them. Brad Pitt's 10min part was the best part of the film, ie, funniest, but overall it was fun-ish enough. 3 - $10
07.04.22 : Ambulance - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.
I don't think anyone knew what the mess was, because it a total mishmash, ie, a Dog Day Afternoon(1975)/Fast & Furious with lame gags. If you're young you won't know enough to pick the dumb happenings, but for everyone else there was some pretty dumb happenings in front of the camera and behind. Basically it's shaky-cam, car crashes, and plenty of shooting to cover up that logically it's pretty dumb, eg, organising a party while being shot-at in a bank robbery. I found it annoying and a bit tedious. 2.75 - $9
05.04.22 : Dragon Friends Season 8 - Live D&D Comedy Show : Comedy Store
Got attacked by a plant. Got a red dragon egg. Talked to young, different dimension, Strad. And went far forward in time, without getting enough info to work out what's going on. There's no meat to get you truly engaged, so it was the same as last time, ie, hit-n-run d!ck jokes. If you look at the Beef Babes when Alex Lee started this very clever intricate protection racket thread, it was amazing because you had to think, but this one just horny plants, ie, funny enough, just not anything mentally stimulating for an audience. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $25
04.04.22 : Morbius - movie
Action, Adventure, Horror : Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.Not as good as the first Doctor Strange (2016).
Not as fun as the first Venom (2018). So it's somewhere behind those. Decent pacing between action and information, and couple to that it wasn't that long it didn't get any boring bits. It's ok. 3.5 - $10
26.03.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
I thought I wanted to go, but when I got there I wasn't in the mood - I was put in a bad seat and I wanted to leave -. I thought I would tough-out the first half and leave latter, but it turned out too good so I came round. It looks like they are not doing the lineup list anymore, probably because it's organised on the night, but there was Eric Hutton - he was ok -. Jenny Tian - I've been trying to see her for the last 2 years but she's always sold out, and who was good -. But it was the sound guy - can't remember his name - that ad-libed a set to fill in for a comic that didn't turn up that was crazy good. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $16
23.03.22 : Self Care Comedy : Naked Comedy Productions live online
DeAnne Smith(MC), Jared Goldstein, Tessa Skara, Teresa Lee, Hannah Pilkes,
Last year I watched part of a show when it was free, and it was the usual for a online streaming comedy show, ie, mild. So I thought I would wait until it was at it's best, ie, with DeAnne Smith, before I would judge if it was worth watching, and it wasn't too bad. It's kind-of hard for a streaming comedy show when there is no audience, ie, no crowd laugh track, to be really funny, but this seemed a bit above the usual. 3.5 - $15.jpg)
22.03.22 : Dog - movie
Comedy : Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois) race down the Pacific Coast to get to a fellow soldier's funeral on time.
They usually have a dog for cuteness and comedy, but this one they were for a serious angle, eg, suicide, mental illness, trauma, etc, so it was no fun at all. 2 - $10
22.03.22 : Suspiciously Cheap - March 21st - Streaming Tickets : NextUpComedy online
MC Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Maisie Adam, Tarot, Leila Navabi, Phil Wang,
I was hoping it would be funnier with more Pro type comics, but it was mild. Phil was kind-of ok, but if it's not super funny I don't really react. At least it's no effort doing the online thing, except for the 6am start - lol -. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3 - $11
12.03.22 : Powerbomb Comedy at Staves Brewery : Staves Brewery
Suren Jayemanne(MC), Becky Lucas, Laura Coleman, Stephanie Broadbridge, Chloe Maddren, Aaron Chen, Luke Joseph Ryan, Cameron Duggan, Andrew Hastings.
Aaron was very good, but Luke was amazing when he riffed his whole set using everything in the room. Overall the whole night was good. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $16
11.03.22 : Off the Rails - movie
Romance , Comedy : Three fifty-something women set out to repeat the European inter-railing adventures of their youth, after their close friend passes away leaving them rail tickets, and a final request: to take her teenage daughter with them.
It's one of those mild, little, nice films, without anything outstanding. It's pretty predictable/contrived, ie, a boat conveniently parked to sail the required distance, but it's ok enough. 2.75 - $10
10.03.22 : Book of Love - movie
Romance , Comedy : Two writers thrown together on a book tour in Mexico.
It's a nothing movie. ie, you would never miss it if you never saw it. The major problems is that it's not interesting, just like the book in the movie - lol -, and when the whole story is given to you in the written description before you get there, there just isn't any surprises. No magic in this romance. 2 - $10
09.03.22 : Dragon Friends Season 8 - Live D&D Comedy Show : Comedy Store
It's hard to tell how things are going from the first episode, ie, the season usually starts slow, but this one was exactly like last season. The story also continues on from last season. All the other seasons, except for the last, had a lot of story, ie, intrigue, mystery, tasks, double-crosses, battles, etc, but last season it switched to less story and a lot more simple riffing. The story based ones did have side riffs, but those usually had more substance, eg, in one season they had to get to the top floor of a casino, but it got side-tracked into this wonderful riff of getting one million dollars, and that all being bet on a roulette spin. This episode was more along the lines of simple gags, eg, how should a virgin should make love d!ck jokes. It's kind-of still funny, but it wasn't as intricate as some of the others. You can always tell how good this show is by the audience laughs, and the audience laughed a bit in the first half, slumped a bit in the middle of the second, and laughed a bit at the end. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5 - $25
09.03.22 : Stand Up for Ukraine : The Comedy Store(UK) - NextUpComedy live stream
Sarah Keyworth(MC), Joe Lycett, Nina Conti, James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Sindhu Vee, Alistair Barrie, Olga Koch, Dimitri Bakanov
Nina Conti was brilliant, ie, it's like she has turrets, and it's the randomness that I like. Nish Kumar was unusually political, ie, he's usually the nice guy, that doesn't do confronting stuff. Those were the standouts, but even the rest were good. Pro shows are way better, which should be obvious because it's the same at live show. I've seen the small shows on NextUp and they weren't that good, but I wanted to see how a Pro show would translate in a stream - I'm still contemplating buying a subscription to NextUp -, and it seems to be quite decent. Doing Zoom live-streams with people at home doesn't seem to work that well, but streaming a show with a live audience is actually a decent option if you can't go to a show. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75 - $21.10
08.03.22 : The Batman - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
It's the usual dark and brooding, but it's done differently, so it feels different, ie, they used more atmospheric visuals to portray more of a dark/hopeless feel. Coupled to the mystery that was the Riddler, it made it quite interesting for the full length. Could of done without the current trend of the superhero being the bad guy in the public eye, ie, somehow fighting criminals to save innocents is what proves he is a public menace, but overall it was quite good. 3.75 - $10
28.02.22 : Uncharted - movie
Action, Adventure : Street-smart Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan, and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada.
It's not even close to the old mystery treasure adventure movies, ie, it's not intricate/clever or that much fun. It's ok if you want a very dumbed-down second rate treasure film. 2.75 - $10
15.02.22 : Blacklight - movie
Action, Thriller : Travis Block is a government operative coming to terms with his shadowy past. When he discovers a plot targeting U.S. citizens, Block finds himself in the crosshairs of the FBI director he once helped protect.
Nowhere near as good as his intriguing thrillers, eg, The Commuter (2018), Non-Stop (2014), but miles ahead of the boring The Marksman (2021). It's ok. 2.75 - $10
11.02.22 : Marry Me - movie
Comedy, Music, romance : Music superstars Kat Valdez and Bastian are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd, instead.
It's at the PG level, ie, mild, simplistic, and nothing outstanding, but it's ok. Probably because it was a lot of the same thing, but I wished it was shorter. 2.75 - $10
10.02.22 : Jackass Forever - movie
Documentary, Action, Comedy : After 20 years, the Jackass crew is back for their final crusade.
I wished they played more pranks on each other, because that was funnier than the stunts. I remember I didn't like one of the movies because it was too violent, ie, it sucks the humour out of the stunt, but this one only had one so it wasn't too bad. It's ok, but I feel it's on it's last legs, ie, we've kind-of seen it all before 3.5 - $10
07.02.22 : Moonfall - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : A mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it.
It's a modernised, cr@p, B-grade disaster movie, ie, moronic Armageddon(1998). I could handle the dumbness of the main story, the the side story of "family getting to safety" was grating, ie, it went from a 3 to a 2. These days when I see HB Brothers, ie, China/Hollywood, at the start, it feels like it's synonymous for dumb. I don't mind dumb action, but this was too dumb and janky. 2 - $10
04.02.22 : The King's Man - movie
Action, Adventure, Thriller : In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.
The Kingsman films haven't been anything special, but this WWI history based realistic film is even more of a drag. The franchise is supposed to be a fun secret agent action film, but some bright spark tried to portray the futility of war in gritty realism, and that killed all the fun out of this movie. To show how un-fun it was, they killed a main character in an ironically pointless realistic WWI trench scene, and on top of that, the first bit of fun/crazy action only happened 20min from the end. What a total un-fun drag. 2
02.02.22 : Comedy Knockout at Backyard Comedy Club : NextUpComedy online
All the newbie comic competition shows have problems - RAW doesn't have enough laughs for such a long show so it gets fatiguing -, and I guess these competitors are used to this format, but from the outside it is a bit weird. First round(1hr) is 12 comics doing 2min each, but battling in pairs with an applaud-off to pick who goes through. Break(¼hr). Second(½hr) round is the 6 qualifiers doing 2½ min. Break(¼hr). Third(½hr) is the 3 qualifiers plus one of the losing competitors, that was picked by the audience, doing 5min each. Problems :- Too many breaks make the show quite long at 2½ hours. The first round has such short sets (2min) that most didn't know how to start fast, ie, they didn't do much. You see the same comic multiple times, ie, some had three goes. Overall it suffers the same problem as most newbie nights, ie, not enough laughs. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3 - $12
01.02.22 : Suspiciously Cheap - January 31st - Streaming Tickets : NextUpComedy online
MC Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Darren Harriott, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Tarot, Sara Barron, Steen Raskopoulos
The whole comedy landscape has changed in Sydney, ie, I might not be able to participate anymore, so I thought I would try one of the better online streaming comedy nights from the UK as a look at the future. I wanted to see one of their big pro comedy shows, but I couldn't get a straight answer on how it was going to be streamed so I tried a cheap night as a test - they send a code and you make an account to login and watch -. New material nights are hit-and-miss, ie, the jokes aren't proven to actually be funny so might fall flat, and it's hard to watch comedy at 6am, but even considering all that it felt below par - not boring bad, more disappointed there was nothing to laugh at. I've seen Kiri, Darren, Sara, and they were good in other shows, but tonight they were very mild, and in fact the only shining light was Steen at the end that was genuinely funny. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3 - $12
23.01.22 : The Running Joke Digital Comedy Club - Omicron Edition : online
Daniel Muggleton(MC),
Bec Melrose [Question Everything, Tonightly with Tom Ballard]
Rohan Ganju [Gocsy's Classics, Comedy Central]
Dan Rath [MICF Best Newcomer Nominee 2019]
I think the honeymoon is over, ie, the novelty is gone. It's wasn't super funny, but now that they are repeating the lineup from 5 months ago it makes it even less funny due to people remembering the jokes - this happened at the Oatley Hotel because of the repeating lineup -. With only 18 viewers, down from 35 last week, I don't see this continuing much further. It WAS ok for $10, but I don't think it is now. 2.5 - $11
16.01.22 : The Running Joke Digital Comedy Club - Omicron Edition : online
Daniel Muggleton(MC),
Lizzy Hoo [Australia Debates, Oxfam Gala]
Pernille Haaland [West End, BBC, BBC3]
Mel Buttle [Bake Off Australia, The Project]
Online is probably always going to have the problem that's it's not going to be as funny, ie, hardly any audience laugh-track, but it was ok. 3.25 - $11
12.01.22 : The Matrix Resurrections - movie
Action, Sci-Fi : Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more.
If you want a different story that continues the lore, it's ok, but if you want an action film to the level of the others, it's not the same, ie, it's mainly slow moving story without the increditable/memorable dramatic action scenes. Basically the old ones did more with less, ie, they used less people, carefully choreographed each action movement, and filmed it at an angle that made it very dramatic. This one was just mass swarms with nothing that stood-out. The story is ok, but I could've done without the Forth Wall stuff, ie, he is a game developer writing the 4th game of his Matrix series. It's ok, but I would rank it at the bottom with the 3rd. 3.5 - $10
PS, did anyone notice Neo has the same name as the MySpace founder Tom Anderson - lol -.
