Comedy & Movie Reviews 2018

Woof-o-meter :-
0-Die Bastard : 1-Crap : 2-Rubbish(watchable) : 3-OK : 3.5-Nice : 4-Good : 4.5-Very Good : 5-WOW

28.12.18 : Bumblebee - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : On the run in the year of 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small. I liked the early transformer films, but I thought Mark Wahlberg just didn't belong in the latter ones. This one goes back to the earlier films, it's just that it has this big 1 hour block of no action in the middle establishing Bee's character and story. It also has some juvenile bits, so it's a bit dumbed down for adults, but it's not a deal breaker. 3

27.12.18 : Holmes & Watson - movie
Adventure, Comedy, Crime : A humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. From the trailer I knew it was going to be mild, but 20min in you realise this is seriously unfunny. Bored. 1

14.12.18 : Peppermint - movie
Action, Drama, Thriller : After her husband and daughter are killed in a senseless act of violence, a woman seeks revenge against those responsible. It's another Death Wish(1974) clone, but it's one of the better ones. Nothing that remarkable, but way better than the ridiculous shoot-fest John Wick. 3

13.12.18 : Once Upon a Deadpool - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : Deadpool 2. I should've research it because it was just Deadpool 2 with 7 small Fred Savage bits added - the funniest part -, and I think a few small cuts to get it under a PG13 classification. Shame it was a repeat 2.75

11.12.18 : Dragon Friends - Yulemas Special! : Giant Dwarf Theatre
These ones usually aren't great, but this one seamed less so. Usually the start has a task is spelt out, or at least forced, but this one didn't have one so I didn't know what was happening till near the end of the first half. Evidently they get taken to the Milk dimension - some reference to last years ep - and different dimensions pass by. The story in each dimension is based on a Xmas movie, but delivered vaguely - it was the vagueness that killed it for me because I didn't catch on, neither did the cast for a while -. Then there was a big reveal at the end, but it was kind-of slow so it lost it's value. The crowd was enthusiastic, but that is probably because they don't know how good it was in the past. Crowd : 4 - Me : 2.75

07.12.18 : Mortal Engines - movie
Action, Adventure, Fantasy : London is now a giant predator city on wheels. It's big, exciting, and an interesting film, but I don't think people will get because of the Steam-Punk logic. It kept my attention all the way through because it was interesting. 3.75

06.12.18 : Second Act - movie
Comedy, Romance : A big box store worker reinvents her life and her life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do. I think I remember all of JLO's movies being predictable, and this is just another one. It's the predictability that makes it unmemorable, ie a bit dull. It's ok. 2.5

03.12.18 : Story Club - A Very Story Club Book Launch : Giant Dwarf Theatre
They were all repeats for me except one, but it was still ok.
Ben Jenkins - Watching someone eat 50 oysters.
Debra Oswald - Loosing it.
David Cunningham - Family Feud.
Alex Lee - The "piss stick".
Mark Sutton - Mugged twice in one night.
Zoe Norton Lodge - Uncontrollable boobs.
Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75

03.12.18 : The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - movie
Adventure, Family, Fantasy : A young girl is transported into a magical world of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice. A very attractive film with a not very complicated story, that has enough stuff that an adult won't be bored. Basically it's "attractiveness attracts", in that if you use attractive actors and have attractive visuals the viewer will be so enamoured they won't notice any deficiency's. It's ok. 3

30.11.18 : ITS Birthday Festival - Plonk Family Band : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I couldn't really hear the words, but it sounded like the lyrics weren't as wacky as usual. And the songs were a bit more conventional, ie they used to do choruses so complicated that the person that came up with it couldn't remember it the second time around. Buckers song was the best because I could hear the lyrics and she injected some comedy. My hearing was more the problem. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3

30.11.18 : Creed II - movie
Drama, Sport : Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, light heavyweight contender Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago. Slow clichéd contrived dull-fest. They make the slow bits extra slow - Sly talks so slow he looks like he has a disability -, and then they speed up the fight scenes - the only decent parts - with hard cuts. 1

29.11.18 : Widows - movie
Crime, Drama, Thriller : 4 widows are extorted for the money their parters stole. If you want Black violence, extortion, and crooked politicians, watch it. If you want entertainment, avoid it like the plague. I thought it would have more action because Michelle Rodriguez was in it, but after 1 hour of of back-stabbing greed and violence I walked out - no use watching what you don't like -. I've see worse that I really hated, but this was was boring for me because I don't do serious real life stuff. 1

27.11.18 : Trumpedia : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It wasn't a comedy it was a book launch, and covered Trump's life story and business dealings. What you do learn from show is that Trump is a total idiot in businesses and blindly does things with no thought or consequences. He got 2 real estate deals right, and another 1 was given to him for free, but the plethora of other business all went bust because he thinks he's always right, to the point of delusion. No laughs, but ok to watch. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3

27.11.18 : Bohemian Rhapsody - movie
Biography, Drama, Music : A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert. I'm not a Queen fan, but I did see a documentary that focused on the history of their songs and music that was interesting. This one focuses on Freddie Mercury's relations and sexuality, which I'm not interested in at all. Learn't nothing new, and not a big enough fan to want to see a recreation of their full Live Aid set. Also the real Freddie in the factual documentary was more dynamic and fast talking than the guy that played Freddie in this one. 2.5

23.11.18 : Robin Hood - movie
Action , Adventure , Thriller : That was bigger and better than the dull trailer lead us to believe, and they changed the story so much, and added new bits to it, it was way better than the boring original Robin Hood. My attention was held for the whole length of the movie, which means it must be good because I always seam to drift watching anything these days. It's more than a 3.5 but less than a 3.75, so probably a 3.5+.

21.11.18 : Big Fancy Quiz - The Internet : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Still fun. Unfortunately because I know some of the history the Internet, I was stupidly too busy thinking of the answers to concentrate on the jokes. Even accounting for that I wish it went back to the longer two halves, because the fun seams to end too soon. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

19.11.18 : Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - movie
Adventure , Family , Fantasy : More substance then the first, but just as uninteresting. Even with CGI every second minute, it wasn't enough to cover up the fact that this is a long, muddled mystery, that doesn't keep the viewer engaged. Absolutely saturated with CGI special effects to pad the movie out - it was still too long - , so they can split it into two parts and double their money. 2.5

14.11.18 : D&D is for Nerds – Live : Giant Dwarf Theatre
This must be what a proper D&D show is like - actually it's still bastardised but less so than Dragon Friends -. There is not much hand-holding, eg if you don't ask a character their name directly you will never know it, and the players know the rules and what to do, eg run through a room check whenever they enter one. This was a Scooby-Doo - masked for legal reasons - based single episode. I was distracted because I felt tired, but it was fun enough. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3

14.11.18 : bigsofttitty.png : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It was randomness turned into questions for the D&D is for Nerds crew, eg is Jack Black a horse. it's ok. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.25

13.11.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
The last 20 min dragged when no one could make, or was forced to make, a decision, spoiling the good 1 hour 30 min before it. Started 3.75 but died to a 2 at the end, and that left a sour taste that overwhelmed the good start. Crowd : 4 - Me : 2.5

08.11.18 : Hunter Killer - movie
Action , Thriller : An untested American submarine captain goes into Russian territory to find a missing sub. More of an implausible action film than a realistic drama, but that just makes it more entertaining when you don't question the logic. Ok to watch. 2.75

02.11.18 : Clear Out Your Notebooks : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It wasn't very good. One panellist kept dominating the conversation without ever saying anything funny, people were talking at the back - maybe they lost interest because it wasn't that funny - , and it looked like small crowd syndrome, ie no one tried that hard because there wasn't enough of a crowd. Crowd : 3 - Me : 2.5

26.10.18 : Sam Simmons - Radical Women of Latin American Art, 1960 – 1985 : Giant Dwarf Theatre
There were a few parts that vaguely sound familiar, but overall it's good. I remember his last show being more conventional jokes with a lot of swearing, where as this is more of his abstract weird stuff, but maybe that first one was a trial show for this one. There is some stuff that is probably a bit risky for modern times, but he always kind-of covers it up, mainly with self deprecation, so it doesn't seam that bad. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

26.10.18 : Danielle Walker - Bush Rat : Giant Dwarf Theatre
The short sets edited for TV are quite high powered, but the full show is milder. It mainly covers stories about her family members, and early farm life in Townsville, through to where she is now. Mild but nice, as in you might not laugh that much but you will like it. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

20.10.18 : Clear Out Your Notebooks : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Comics go through jokes they rejected or didn't work. It reminded me of a Project52 show just with more preparation, so it was one of the better ones. Good. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

15.10.18 : Story Club - When We Were Young : Giant Dwarf Theatre
All ladies night.
Ben Jenkins - Shot a pig in the anus.
Jessica Tuckwell - Schools that give everyone an award suck.
Jacqueline Maley - Medieval recorder band
Georgia Norton Lodge - Going to Surfers with here Dad and having her first lady accident, and not knowing it.
Rosie Waterland - Dealing when womanhood and here alcoholic parents.
Zoe Norton Lodge - Being the face of Australian tourism for Japan.
Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4

15.10.18 : First Man - movie
Biography , Drama , History : A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. It ain't no The Right Stuff(1983). Very heavily biased to the personal/emotional/death side rather than the excitement of the adventure. Also they try to put you into the moment so you know what it would feel like, but its's so heavy on the shaky cam and closeups it's quite over done. A bit slow. 2.5

10.09.18 : Big Fancy Quiz - Horror Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It got really good this episode. The panel was mucking around and being very funny, and the crowd was really good making it even better. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

09.10.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It was basically 2 hours of a silent room with a few laughs at the end. I have trouble concentrating, but now I think it's the lack of something interesting happen that makes nothing stick, and because of that I'm completely lost when a new episode starts because I can't remember what happened in the last. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 2.5

04.10.18 : Venom - movie
Action , Horror , Sci-Fi : When Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life. The kids clapped at the end, but for me it took a while to get going before it kind-of got ok. It was kind-of half drama, half wise-crack gags, half modern B-grade movie, basically nothing that felt special. 3.5

01.10.18 : Johnny English Strikes Again - movie
Action , Adventure , Comedy : After a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all of the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker. Why didn't they make #1 like this, because this is a massive improvement. #1 was a boring unfunny POS, this has that deadpan subtle clever comedy, and quite a bit of it, that #1 should've had. Not super, but way better than I was expecting. 3.5

28.09.18 : Night School - movie
Comedy : A group of troublemakers are forced to attend night school in hope that they'll pass the GED exam to finish high school. It's not super lol, but the inventiveness of making different situations to garner different jokes is what kind-of makes it different/new. It's kind-of good. 3.5

27.09.18 : The House with a Clock in Its Walls - movie
Comedy , Family , Fantasy : A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt is taken in by his magical uncle. Quite good. It looks like the Harry Potter type kids magical fantasy, but with a lot more story. Basically HP uses effect distractions as time fillers for a shortish story, like going from class to class to see a new CGI effect, where as this one kept my attention better. 3.75

26.09.18 : Breakout NZ : Factory Theatre
Not super funny, not bad, it's ok. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

26.09.18 : Melanie Bracewell - Melodrama : Factory Theatre
It's nice, meaning you won't laugh that much but you will still like it. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.5

18.09.18 : Big Brother - movie
Action, Drama : A soldier-turned-high school teacher uses unusual methods to reach to a class of poor students. The usual bit of logical inconsistencies you would expect from Asian cinema, but it's an ok film. Nothing to write home about, but it passes the time. 2.75

17.09.18 : The Predator - movie
Action, Adventure, Horror : A young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters. It's this amateurish cheap-looking scattered mess, which might be intended because it piss-takes Predator, that makes the original look like a serious drama. I didn't hate it, more I was expecting better, but I would say it's mainly for teens. 2.75

16.09.18 : Snack Report Live (Featuring FTAGH ep 100) : Cafe Lounge
I'm too old to do small venues, but I got a seat and stayed. I'm probably too old to do shows anymore, but it was ok. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.5

11.09.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I don't know if it's just me but I keep tuning-out - I seam to be doing it with everything these days -. I don't think was as funny as before, but that could be because I'm getting used to it so nothing surprises me anymore - that's what happen to me with The Bear Pack -.
Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

05.09.18 : Wayne - The Wayne Gardner Story - movie
Documentary : It didn't cover every single point, but it did cover his life story and the major events of winning the World Championship and the first Phillip Island win. Love him or hate him, but there is no denying that he put Australian on the map and paved the way for all the following Australian rides and got a major MotoGP race to come down here. 3.75

04.09.18 : Chris Fleming - ShowPig : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I think you have to be a fan to get all of it. I don't know who Chris is or his styling's, just if it's funny for a general audience. I did get the basic standup, but didn't get the little rambling improvised similes and obscure references, so it was 50/50 for me. Started off great, but tapered for me soon after. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.25

04.09.18 : Kin - movie
Action, Sci-Fi : Chased by a vengeful criminal a recently released ex-con and his adopted teenage brother are forced to go on the run. Because of the microscopic sections of very good Sci-Fi effects I think this would have been better if it was Sci-Fi centred rather than personal drama. Slow in places but slightly more interesting than the single line story of "boy finds ray-gun". 2.5

03.09.18 : Story Club - You Win Some, You Lose Some : Giant Dwarf Theatre
A couple of stories I had heard before, but at least Cait is getting back to her old bubbly self.
Cait Harris - Life as an anxious hypochondriac.
Bec Melrose - Always looking young for her age, panic sets in when she finds the first crack in her face.
Eddie Sharp - Proclaiming sex is a waste of time.
Cathy Wilcox - Going to Morocco, the hustler capital of the world.
Matthew Mitcham(Gold Medal Beijing) - Life story.
Zoe Norton Lodge - Going to Greece to show how Greek she is, but not being as Greek as she thought.
Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

03.09.18 : Mile 22 - movie
Action, Adventure, Crime : An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country. It uses the "busy/confusion" technique to cover the faults, which did work, but it was better than I was expecting from the reviews. Mark Wahlberg seamed like the wrong choice, but thankfully Asian cinema has different ideas so it had a lot more story than I expected. 3

31.08.18 : Hearts For Arts Law presents Laugh Your Arts Off 2018 : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Variety show. The first half was good but the second half had stuff that I wasn't that interested in, plus I felt tired when I got there, so I left a bit early. na

28.08.18 : Big Fancy Quiz - Marvel Universe : Giant Dwarf Theatre
They changed the format and it's not a trivia night anymore but a full show, and now it's quite good to watch. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.5

23.08.18 : #WeThePeople: LIVE! : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It wasn't the usual Dr Karl(Triple J, Sleek Geeks) science thing, but also bits about his life story. I think Josh Sceps is mainly political, because there were political questions too. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

23.08.18 : The Happytime Murders - movie
Action, Comedy, Crime : Puppet detective. It uses that inappropriate opposite gag, like children's puppets being sexually perverted. The start in the sex club was a bit funny, but after that not so much. It's kind-of ok if you are not expecting super laughs. 2.75

20.08.18 : Old Friend/New Friend : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It's basically just people talking, so you can't expect too much. Some was interesting and some wasn't, but it was ok. 3

20.08.18 : Oolong Courtyard - movie
Comedy : 2 thieves join a Oolong Courtyard martial arts school to steal their treasure. The name sounded familiar, and they have old clips at the end that I have seen, but I don't know if this is a sequel or a remake. It was basically 2 hours of not knowing what was being said due to the subtitles being white on white backgrounds and so fast that they are unreadable. Even with that handicap it's still not a good movie - basically 2 slap-stick laughs -. 1

17.08.18 : The Meg - movie
Action, Horror, Sci-Fi : After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible. I think they were going for something like the funny ironic classic Deep Blue Sea, but because this is not ridiculous enough it's not that funny. Ok to watch, just not stupid enough. 2.75

16.08.18 : The Darkest Minds - movie
Sci-Fi, Thriller : Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future. It has that PG13 feel, ie a bit amateurish, a bit cheap, a bit clunky, a bit illogical, basically it looks like they couldn't afford professionals to make it. You can get away with the lack of professionalism if they Sci-Fi part is decent enough and the cast is attractive enough to mask it, but this doesn't really have enough of either. This is an attempt at a teen movie series that doesn't have much going for it, ie it's a bit slow and plain and with not many exciting scenes. 2.5

14.08.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Huge ironic catastrophic twist. One character left and a new one was added, but I found the new one better than the old. I was thinking about it and the new character has no history, ie there is nothing invested in him, so he could be played for comedic effect instead of always being cautious to avoid dying and loosing a beloved character. If you look at it now Alex can't play the "not very smart" comedic Philge character anymore because she gets hammered by the game and nearly dies so often it's just now worth taking the risk and loosing the character. It's a bit of a Catch22 because the laughs Philge produces is what makes her loved, but if you play for laughs you loose the character.
Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

10.08.18 : The Spy Who Dumped Me - movie
Action, Comedy : Audrey and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy. That was better than I was expecting. Maybe a touch too long - I only noticed it two short spots - , but I found it fun. 3.5

08.08.18 : Mission: Impossible - Fallout - movie
Action, Adventure, Thriller : Ethan Hunt and his IMF team race against time after a mission gone wrong. The first half seamed a bit simple/predictable, but the second half gets better. 3.75

06.08.18 : Story Club - Exhibit A : Giant Dwarf Theatre
This episode had the storytellers bring in pictures or film proof of their story.
Ben Jenkins - Adopting an old cat from a Cat Lady in New York.
Phil Spencer (Bondi Feast) - Hilarious reading of poems written when Phil was 16 years old.
Bridie Connell (Tonightly) - Manipulative guy who thought he was a reincarnated Byron tricking girls to go out with him.
David Cunningham & Mark Sutton (The Checkout) - Visiting the lame wax museum in the Gold Coast where none if the figures look like who they are supposed to be.
Jonathan Holmes (Media Watch) - Going to the Gobi Desert to film Princess Anne ride a camel.
Zoe Norton Lodge - Staying at a B&B in Salzburg run by tight-arse Cristine.
Crowd : 4 - Me : 4

01.08.18 : The Breaker Upperers - movie
Comedy : Two women cynical in love, set up an agency to break couples up as a way to avoid letting go and moving on with their lives. You can imagine what quality to expect based on the budget, ie, simple-ish, but overall it's kind-of ok. There is enough humour for most of it for it to be ok, but the end gets a bit serious and the laughs stop. 3

31.07.18 : Detective Dee - The Four Heavenly Kings - movie
Mystery, Drama, Action, Fantasy : Detective Dee is forced to defend himself against the accusations of Empress Wu while investigating a crime spree. Lots of talking punctuated with some action. You would think all Fantasy Action films would be fun, but the way the Dee series is always played as a serious drama with political under tones, and no comedy, it never leaves you with that fun feeling. It's ok to watch just lacking comedy, so I would say to wait for it to be on TV. 2.5

28.07.18 : Sci Fight Science Comedy Debate - Seeing is Believing : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It was kind-of ok, but because it wasn't entertaining enough I didn't stick around. Having academics, ie not comedians, that are debating to win rather than debating to entertain, is not that entertaining for an audience. The host was good, ie funny. na

25.07.18 : Skyscraper - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : A security expert must infiltrate a burning skyscraper, 225 stories above ground, when his family are trapped inside by criminals. It an't no Diehard. I think the equations is, "The Rock" + PG = average, at least for an older intelligent audience. A bit disappointing, in that it's not that special, but I suppose it was adequate. 2.75

24.07.18 : Big Fancy Quiz - Marvel Universe : Giant Dwarf Theatre
When it said it had comedy teams I thought it was a show an audience watched, ie like The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, but it was actually a pub quiz where the audience answered questions. This made the comedy teams kind-of redundant because there was no opportunely for them to do any comedy. I guess if you wanted to use the comics you make it like The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, and have them write a comedic answer, plus the actually answer if they know it, and have them read it out. It's ok if you are just watching, but it would be better if you are competing. na

24.07.18 : The Equalizer 2 - movie
Action, Crime, Thriller : Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves? 1 was fun because it used non serious over-the-top stylised violence, but this one takes it'self too seriously, ie trying to be too real, and it travels too slow. It's ok 2.5

19.07.18 : Ant-Man and the Wasp - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past. From memory the last one was good, and so is this one. Good fun. 4

10.07.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I'm kind-of lost, so I don't know what is happening. It started in Season 4, then switched to 3, and then I think back to 4. As a guess I think the guy that was chasing them finally caught them and gave them the task, but that seamed odd because they are locked in an inescapable prison. The problem is probably because I can't concentrate, so it was probably good, at least the large crowd thought so. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

02.07.18 : Animal World - movie
Action, Adventure, Thriller : A man finds himself deep in debt and is coerced to board a ship that hosts a risky gambling party. I don't know what to think, but if you like something different, ie strange, that is not an anti-hero action film, I suppose it will be ok. Didn't hate it. 2.75

29.06.18 : A Rational Fear : Giant Dwarf Theatre
More message than laughs, rather than the old days were is was laughs first message second. Lewis Hobba was good because he did the latter. Too serious. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3

28.06.18 : Plonk Family Band : Giant Dwarf Theatre
The 1st half was very funny, and Fran's Björk impression was insane, but the 2nd half did taper. They quickly realised they couldn't use the gags from last time because there was so many regulars in the crowd, so they filled that with songs. Still good fun. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75

28.06.18 : Improv Theatre Sydney Soap Opera : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Thank heavens the Soap Opera format is as good as it was, because the free form Long Form I last saw was total rubbish. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

27.06.18 : Lano & Woodley – Fly : Enmore Theatre
The first 20 min is mucking around and brilliant - 5 stars -. Then it goes into play mode, which it's not a real play but more a vehicle for set routines - 4 stars -. Then in the 2nd half it mucking around again - 4.5 -. Then back to play mode, which is not really play anymore but more extreme mucking around - 4.5 -. It has some of the old routines that are hilariously brilliant, but overall it's very good. Crowd : 4.75 - Me : 4.5

24.06.18 : Sydney Trash & Treasure Bazaar : Horningsea Park
This was the best market for tinkers before it shut down, because it has real junk rather than only cheap Chinese import stuff. Now that it has reopened it looks like there isn't as many of the old sellers that was here before, but more the seller you see from Fairfield Showground markets on Wed. This is only the 2nd week, and in winter there is less sellers because less buyer go out in the cold, so maybe it will get better. Overall it's still good for a market.

19.06.18 : Tag - movie
Comedy : Based on a true story, a bunch of kids have been playing Tag so long that they are now grown men. Not a sonic laugh-a-thon, but still a fun little movie. 3.5

18.06.18 : Your Attention Please : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It's a bunch of speeches, but by characters. There was Robert Kennedy talking, and filling time, as he tries to comfort some Apollo astronauts, who's mission went wrong, while they slowly die in their capsule. A very South African sounding Elon Musk doing a press conference to explain why is AI controlled Tesla purposely drove into a crowd killing them. Eva Braun's brother, an  accountant for Hitler, ringing members of the Third Reich for an explanation as to why they let Indian Jones destroy so much equipment. A sports star explaining his bad behaviour. There were 2 funny ones, 2 interesting ones, 1 I didn't understand, and 1 was a bit too normal, and overall it was nice enough - I think if it was just the 4 good ones it would have been better shorter - . Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

15.06.18 : Upgrade - movie
Action, Horror, Sci-Fi : When Grey, a self-identified technophobe, has his world turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant called Stem.It has a slow burn brooding dark feel, not the fun feel that the trailer suggests, but overall it's a good little movie. Not brilliant, probably due to the pacing and seriousness, but it's still well worth watching. 3.5

12.06.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I haven't been feeling the last couple of recordings, but then this chaotic mess turns up and it's fun again. I was wondering if there is too much mucking around and not enough story - they ran away from character delivering the story/tasks and are wandering around aimlessly -, but this was all mucking around and no story and it was fun. I'm not sure if this is an actual episode of this seasons adventure or a side-track special edition, because this episode was Boddy trapped in Freezo's head. In charge this week was the wonderful mess that is the Hingster, ie, fast thinking fast talking from the old Hermann's Heroes days, and coupled to everyone going for laughs made the whole night fun, especially for the audience. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 4

07.06.18 : Ocean's 8 - movie
Action, Comedy, Crime : Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City's yearly Met Gala. There is no clever puzzle you have to work out in you're head, so it just sitting there passively with nothing to do. Very unremarkable. 2.75

05.06.18 : Inuyashiki - movie
Drama, Action, SciFi : A pathetic old man has an extraterrestrial encounter that transforms him. I don't know anything about Japanese comics, but boy does this get morally dark in places. Slow brooding dark drama with action. Good 3.75

04.06.18 : Story Club - Taking The Plunge : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It started brilliantly, but then three tragic stories killed it for me.
Ben Jenkins - Being a 13 year "actual" surf life saver.
Demi Lardner - Big kangaroo in the house.
Bridie Jabour - Severe injury to the groin. If medical stories get too detailed for too long they can make audience members physically sick ,as one person found out, and it puts a sad note one any comedy it had.
Cait Harris - Depression. To see a pretty young thing become an alcoholic in just 10 years gets me down.
Debra Oswald - Loosing her virginity
Josh Lawson - Being robed twice in a year. I can laugh at comical bad fortune, but serious bad stuff and it gets me down.
Crowd : 4 - Me : 3

31.05.18 : Gringo - movie
Action, Comedy, Crime : An innocent businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal. It has that feel that makes you want to find out what's going on, so sucks you in, and then they change the guy's predicament constantly so it sucks you in again. Interesting. 3.5

29.05.18 : How Long Will I Love You - movie
SciFi, Comedy, Drama : Gu Xiaojiao, a young girl from 2018 and Lu Ming, a man from 1999, discovers that they have both woken up in the same bed at the same space-time. With the time shifting I figured at worse it should be interesting, but it was more than that because it had quite a big story. Good/interesting. 3.5

25.05.18 : Plonk Family Band : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Something tells me this is not a real band, lol. The show is basically improvising a BS songs, with accompanying instruments, on the fly from an audience suggestion like in Improv. In the old days improvisers used to get applauded for skills. which they were very good at, like rhyming lines and good choruses so it seamed like a real song, these guys get laughs for patching up things so it roughly resembles a song. Like someone would come up with a chorus that was so "wordy" that the others wouldn't remember it, so at the second repeat chorus they would sing a new chorus over the top of the only person that remembered the first chorus - this wasn't a problem and just made it funnier -. Ramshackle but funny. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

25.05.18 : A Rational Fear : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Anything Dan Ilic does is good, he's a hard worker and always tries to keep the energy high so his shows are funny. In King's Cross all the shows were good, but when he tried different venues it wasn't as good. This is the first time at a different venue that I liked the show, and the only difference between the old series(2014) and this new reboot(2018) was that this was more relaxed and less intense. This was the first show so they might be a bit rusty, so wasn't actually as funny as the old ones, but overall it was good. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

25.05.18 : Solo: A Star Wars Story - movie
Action, Adventure, Fantasy : The Han Solo story. Thankfully it wasn't a POS like all the other movies from this reboot franchise. Not captivating, and a little bit derivative, but it's ok to watch. 3.5

23.05.18 : BigSoftTitty.png(podcast) : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It was a chaotic shambles, but a fun chaotic shambles. A bit all over the place, with the only consistent thing being that they read some stuff from Reddit. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

18.05.18 : Joel Creasey - Blonde Bombshell : Enmore Theatre
I had a choice of unknown laughs with and unknown, or try for certain laughs with someone I knew was funny. I knew Joel was very funny last time, and since it's been a couple of years it should all be new, so I thought this would be good. But it wasn't the expected big laughs, just chuckles. Joel admits he's not a standup but a gossiping paparazzi, so it was that and some troll hunting. On a side note I got tickets at the last moment and it looks like I got the comp section because Rove and Tim Minchin, and maybe Myf, were a few seats away. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5

18.05.18 : Gareth Waugh (SCO) - Honestly? : Enmore Theatre
I can't say I found it super funny - what is these days -, but he was super affable and nice. Don't go by my score because I actually liked it a lot in a comfortable nice way, and since the crowd did applaud a lot I must be good. Crowd : 4.75 - Me : 3.5

17.05.18 : Rhys Nicholson - Seminal : Factory Theatre
I reckon Rhy is the quickest and funniest comic around these days, even quicker than Wil Anderson when he was quick. It's like two people talking at the same time when he does his classic back-comment after he makes a statement. Half I had heard before, but it been so long that it is practically new to me again, plus it's been expanded for more laughs. Funniest thing at this show. Crowd : 4.75 - Me : 4.5

17.05.18 : Deadpool 2 - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy of supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-travelling mutant, Cable. The whole driving force of this franchise is the comedic smart-arse one-liners, but this one had none, at least none that were funny. Not annoying, but very forgettable. 3

15.05.18 : Life of the Party - movie
Comedy : A middle-aged mother returns to college in order to complete her degree. It's not super funny, but it was amusing enough. 3

13.05.18 : Cal Wilson - Hindsight : Comedy Store
The last show was so brilliant I had to go, and she performed brilliantly tonight, it's just that I didn't laugh that much - the crowd didn't either -. The first half sounded familiar, like there was gags, or different versions of the same gags, from the last show, but even when we got to the new stuff in the second half it had an agenda/message, and that always reduces that laughs. It just seams that comdy these days has moved away from the unwritten law that you must make people laugh, and moved to sad stuff and moral messages. The crowd did cheer a lot at the end, so maybe it's just me. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.5

12.05.18 : Angella Dravid (NZ) - Down The Rabbit Hole : Factory Theatre
This was nothing like the short spot on Comedy Up Late. I was excepting this dry awkward but very funny one-liner standup routine, but it was actually this tragic and farcical situation she was put in from her life. Only minor laughs but lots of OMG moments, so it's not that uplifting, but overall it was good. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

12.05.18 : Gillian English (CAN) - She Wolf : Factory Theatre
That was quite good. The SCF ad didn't look that funny, but because I usually see OS comics - seen most locals - I thought I would see if there was a vid. There was one from 2014 and in the first minute she said she plays AFL in Canada, and I though that if this is not funny - it's hard to make me laugh - it's still going to be very interesting. After that rather good standup vid, this show was nothing like that. It basically an amusing - actually sarcastic - look at the history in Shakespeare's plays against actual history, but looking at Queen Margaret's story from the King Henry VI series. I might make this sound a bit dry - it's not - but you didn't really have to laugh for this one because it was compellingly interesting. It tapers just at the end because there is a personal agenda, but you won't remember that compared to the rest. Good. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75

11.05.18 : Jeff Green (UK) - 30 : Factory Theatre
It's a shame Jeff isn't as funny as when he first got to Aust, because I find older comics the funniest. Jeff's set used to be 90% of over-the-top exaggerated one-liners - this is the funniest part -, like "My wife leaves all the lights on, so we've had to close the blinds to stop ships running aground on our lawn". But in this one it was probably only 10%. It was nice enough, and he did tell stories of his comedy career, I just wished it was still 5 star super funny like the old days. I kind-of feels sorry for Jeff because I think his move to Aust killed his career, and because he reminds me of Lee Mack maybe he could've been huge. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

11.05.18 : Charisa Bossinakis - Boss : Factory Theatre
Unfortunately this was one were the comics think that delivering words in a condescending and sarcastic tone is enough to constitute comedy - I've see Judith Lucy do the same thing, so even pros fall into that trap -, but even that aside I didn't think the stories were that remarkable. Slight laughs from other parts of the crowd, so maybe it was ok for them, but for me I lost interest pretty fast. Crowd : 3 - Me : 2

10.05.18 : Lawrence Leung - The Man Who Stopped For A Sandwich : Factory Theatre
All of his previous shows have been riotously funny 5 stars except for that last one. This one is like the last one, ie, not lol funny, but more interesting amusing. Even though you miss out on the laughs Lawrence always weaves a very intricate and very clever show, and even if you don't like magic his is pretty good. Crowd : 4 - Me : 4

09.05.18 : Karl, the Universe and Everything : University of Sydney Seymour Centre
Life on other planets, flying in a SR-71 and U-2 spy plane, flying in a 747 with a 100" telescope fitted, rising rates of education and reduced mortality in 3rd world countries. I couldn't hear much for the first 15 min because that was how long it took for them to realise the mic wasn't working. I would say it wasn't one of his best, but there was a topic I wasn't that interested in, ie over population of the planet.  Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

08.05.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
The mystery of the stolen children are solved. No Dungeon Dave this ep, so Ben and Eden were at the reins. I don't think it was as funny as the other other eps of this series, but that could be me because I've been felling fatigued lately and only want to sleep. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

08.05.18 : Avengers: Infinity War - movie
Action, Adventure, Fantasy : The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. Too many characters. I can't remember every 2 bit character in all the movies of this type in the last 10 years, so there were superheros that I barely recognised but didn't remember what their deal was, and even some I didn't even know. Comedy was pretty average compared to the last one, but apart from the slow start there were no boring bits. Good 3.5

04.05.18 : Ivan Aristeguieta (VEN) - Matador : Factory Theatre
Ivan is best know for his interpretation of Australian life, that's what made him so popular so fast, but this one didn't have much. Pretty much outsiders comments of Aust is the only thing I still find funny these days, and without many in this show I would say it's not as funny. It's nice enough, ie mild, it's just with a 45 min late start and me not wanting to be out late anymore I felt like going home early - basically it was tiredness -. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

04.05.18 : Ange Lavoipierre & Jane Watt - Luxury Split Bill : Factory Theatre
That was surprising better than I was expecting. Lots of unusual subjects - at least for young female comics -, not conducive to comedy, but thankfully they were handled well enough to make them funny. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

03.05.18 : Story Club - Let Us Never Speak of This Again : Carriageworks
Not a fan of "dry writers" lack of laughing. It's like they think they are too cool to laugh or don't know what funny is because they only do serious.
Alex Lee - Leaving the ABC for Buzzfeed
Anne Aly - Leaving her baby in a pram that was hooked to a bus.
Susie Youssef - Her faltmate getting very sick.
Mark Sutton - Making a folk band that would paly Kasey Chambers covers on a stage that Kasey Chambers would play on next.
Debra Oswald - Her sexual awaking
Mainly repeats for me, but good as usual. There was good comments on leaving, it's just they didn't show much reaction to gauge their applause. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

03.05.18 : Alice Fraser - ETHOS : Enmore Theatre
Thankfully there was a switch from tragic sad to up beat, it's just that if you aren't quick it might go over your head .I'm getting old so it's tough with only one listening, and to compound that I got dishevelled due to getting there late. Basically when you are old you can't just switch off one drama and turn on concentrating listening mode quickly. I think it was ok, it's just that I wished I was able to keep up and absorb it fully. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : na

02.05.18 : Tom Walker - Honk Honk Honk Honk Honk : Factory Theatre
It was less intense - the other made you feel uncomfortable, ie like invading your personal space, but in a good way -, and he was more polite - last time he was more rude to the crowd, but in a good way -. Unfortunately due to him being sick he lost track of time and went 30min overtime - the last 15min felt laboured -, so when it's tightened back up to 1 hour it should be better, ie fast delivers cover up weak-ish gags. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

27.04.18 : Jason Byrne (IRE) - The Man With Three Brains : Enmore Theatre
That made me optimistic. After a run of 5 star shows the last one wasn't funny - you think twice about going to another - , but because this one bounced back to funny it give me the incentive to not give up on something that was good. The usual super funny audience participation, a vasectomy story, and a Coldplay story that had the audience doing a sing along. Crowd : 4.75 - Me : 4.5

25.04.18 : David O'Doherty - You Have to Laugh : Enmore Theatre
Oh well, I guess his perfect 5s had to come to and end eventually. I hate that feeling when you get half way through a show and you suddenly realise you haven't been laughing, and even though I didn't see anyone near me do much laughing either it ends up being a bit depressing because you wanted to laugh. It was nice enough, it's just that I didn't find anything to laugh at. The crowd didn't mind, even though they were a bit quiet during the show, because they gave good applause at the end. Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 3.5 - it was probably a 3.75, but not laughing got me down -.

25.04.18 : Isle of Dogs - movie
Animation, Adventure, Comedy : Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog. Gee they must  have made a lot of models to film this because it pretty elaborate. Good 3.5

24.04.18 : Dude's Manual - movie
RomCom : He Xiaoyang, who is single for four years, is mistaken as the head girl Guan Xin‘s love interest by accident. To get rid of He Xiaoyang, Guan Xin decides to help him pursue the most beautiful girl in campus Li Shushu. They do RomComs differently here because it's a fun movie with an added murder and some Shakespearian love tragedy at the end. Good 3.5

23.04.18 : Super Troopers 2 - movie
Comedy, Crime, Mystery : When a border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers are tasked with establishing a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area. That was a disappointment. The first one was good so after 16 years I would have expected them to write some jokes, but this one didn't have any. Maybe it only a US Canada thing, but for me it was unfunny to the point of boredom. 1

21.04.18 : Andrew Maxwell (IRE) - Showtime : Comedy Store
I always great when a OS comic comes over here and critiques/generalises sections of our country compared to the rest of the world, because we can't see those things when we live in it, and in this show there was a lot of it. Mainly travel stories and some family stories, basically the fun stuff. Good. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 4.25

20.04.18 : I Feel Pretty - movie
Comedy : A woman struggling with insecurity wakes from a fall believing she is the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. I don't remember any of these far-out concept movies where you couldn't suspend you beliefs and accept it for the length of the movie, but this one never sucked you in so you never accepted the premise. Also these type of movies need to be punchy and short, not 2 hours. Not funny, and bad execution. 2

13.04.18 : Rampage - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : a rogue genetic experiment makes animals grow and go crazy. I found it tedious but some young people clapped at the end. I found the weak logic, ie PG13 logic for children, made it boring, plus big gorilla, ie King Kong, is something I hate. The CGI action is ok, but I don't know what you're supposed to do for the other 1hr 15min. 2

12.04.18 : Early Man - movie
Animation, Adventure, Comedy : Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home. I found Chicken Run to be boring because it was long boring setups for a lame punchline, but this one had something interesting happening all the time so was quite nice. 3.5

10.04.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
This season is very different to all the others, in that it's all Improv and no game. In Improv the players feed off each other and take the story in any direction that gets laughs - boy did they go off-topic tonight - , where as in D&D online game play every action is a predictable, ie boring, play-to-win action. Basically they have no interest in doing the "right thing", but rather to do something exactly opposite because it gets more laughs.  This explains why it took 5 episodes(5 hours) before we got a hint of the adventure, because instead of waiting to be blackmailed or enticed by reward for a task, they did the opposite and kept fleeing the scene before anyone could explain the mission. I originally wanted more nonsensical mucking-around, but now that it is only nonsensical mucking-around I kind-of miss the substance of a mysterious story - season 3 had a very interesting story -. As pure entertainment it's good, but I guarantee the D&D fanboys won't get it because they think D&D is supposed to be a serious game that has to be won. Also they don't know what entertainment is because they never leave the house - see the world you boring fu!ks -. Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4

09.04.18 : Story Club - Big mistake. Huge mistake : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Good as usual.
Ben Jenkins - Ejected from the Logies for being too drunk.
Polly Rowe (Sydney Theatre Company) - Gets caught-out having two BFs
Dave Harmon (Dragon Friends) - Strangelove the Musical
Desh Amila (Story Club Workshop) - Working at his first job at a petrol station goes $4000 wrong.
Richard Glover (ABC Radio) - Digging out the sh!t tank when the septic tank gets blocked with tree roots.
Zoe Norton Lodge - Uncontrollable breast.
Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4.25

06.04.18 : Marcel Lucont - Whine List : Comedy Store
In this one the audience had to fill in a questionnaire about what was their worse day at work or worse sexual encounter, and from that Alexis ad-lib a show. It wasn't as funny as usually, but that could be me. Marcel plays as arrogant, which is where most of the comedy comes from, but this time it wasn't that super exaggerated arrogance that is blistering funny. Unfortunately the bigger problem for me is that I couldn't hear that well - I moved and found a better spot, but it wasn't perfect -, and that is depressing. Good, even if not super. Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75

04.04.18 : Blockers - movie
Comedy : Three parents try to stop their daughters from having sex on Prom night. It was better than the trailer suggested. It's fun enough. 3.5

03.04.18 : The Death of Stalin - movie
Comedy : Follows the Soviet dictator's last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death. I have no idea what that was supposed to be, but what I do know is that's it's not funny. It was like a lose drama based on history using cockneys and no jokes. I actually found it horrific in places because it tried to use, actual only used, the comedy conceit of the death squads. But because it was portrayed so realisticly, instead of exaggerated like in comedies, it was quite off-putting. 0

30.03.18 : Ready Player One - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. That was some good nonsense. It's clever because it makes you think about the other world when it switching between VR and reality, and it's clever because it makes you think about all the old movie references. Movies that treat the viewer as intelligent are so much better. 4

29.03.18 : A Wrinkle in Time - movie
Adventure, Family, Fantasy : After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him. It might be ok for 12 year olds, but it's not ok for anyone older than 12 years and 1 day. I was expecting it to be science(SciFi) based, but it's nonsensical drivel with no substance. Alice in Wonderland was just random imagined fantasy, but at least the nonsense was interesting. 1

27.03.18 : Pacific Rim: Uprising - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots. Thank fook they fixed it. The first had such moronic dialogue it was like it was made for 8 year olds, but this one treats you like an adult with normal dialogue so you can actually watch the movie instead of hating every second of it. I liked it. 3.5

23.03.18 : Love, Simon - movie
Comedy, Drama, Romance : Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends, and all of his classmates: he's gay. It's pretty "squeaky clean" so as to be acceptable for a general audience, which is pretty much what Hollywood always does, but it was only the second half where I felt some sentiment. The subject matter is probably not my thing, and it doesn't really have any comedy, but it was ok to watch. 3

21.03.18 : Explosions in the sky : University of Sydney
Associate Professor Tara Murphy
LIGO detected the gravitational waves of neutron stars colliding and set the astronomy world abuzz with every telescope on the planet trying to find and observe it. 4

16.03.18 : Tomb Raider - movie
Action, Adventure : Lara must find her father. Just like this Lara was unremarkable, so was this file. The old TRs had no pizzazz, but at least Lara had the abilities of a hero. This one is even duller but this Lara has the skills of someone off the street. If the hero isn't more skilled than an average person no one look up to them. Boring story, boring character, boring film. 2

15.03.18 : Giant Dwarf 4th Birthday!: Giant Dwarf Theatre
Plenty of variety with Becky Lucas and Cameron James hosting and being Auslan interpreted - their signing  for rude words added more comedy -, David Cunningham doing a story from Queerstories explaining fuk buddies, Carlo's Plonk Family Band with Montaigne that improvised songs on the fly, comics Aaron Chen, Jen Carnovale from the various standup comedy shows at GD, Nikki Britton's rat skull necklace story from Story Club, Eddie Sharp's doing an Erotic Fan Fiction story, Tom Ballard doing a new set, and the Polyphony Choir. Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4

13.03.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
After the debacle of part 2 of the Tomb of Annihilation they turned it totally around and changed the format to pure entertainment, and it was great. The only problem is they still don't know the mission, but when you think about it the reward or blackmail incentive was getting tiresome anyway. What we learnt from TOA pt2 was what kills entertainment. Like not having and audience reduces the incentive of the players to ham it up and get laughs, if you play the game to win every action will be dull and predictable because you are not playing a funny internal character with foibles but a external player that tries to never do anything risky, playing it as a game kills entertainment, the death of a major player is a major turn off, you get penalised for being funny because it puts you at a disadvantage in game play. I was looking at the sold out crowd and it's very different to when this started. Like in the beginning it was a half room of nerd guys, and now it's a large main stream diverse crowd, and it looks like there is nothing like entertainment to put bums on seats. Season 3 has been the best so far and it was about 40% game and 60% fun, but then again it was the big story that made interesting and not the game, either way a bit of substance makes you think and having to think is what makes comedy special. Whether hamming it up at every instance and forgetting the game is the best way is yet to be seen, but it sure is fun. Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4.5

12.03.18 : Death Wish - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : After an attack on his family, Paul embarks on his own mission for justice. When you got past the sadistic start of the original it was basically a very dull B-grade death spree. This one they added a fuller more intelligent story, which made it much more entertaining, it's just they never showed the character having lost all hope and having the name sake's death wish. The death wish wasn't a necessity, and probably made it better, it's just that it belies the name. 3

09.03.18 : Nailed It! : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I don't remember any of these being blistering, but it's still ok to watch. This one came with a warning, which what all comedy should introduce, because it tells people that comics will say anything to get a laugh because that is the only requirement for a comedian. Too many idiots get outraged at things being said when it's something they don't agree with. Well they should shut-the-fook-up and leave and let the majority that paid good money enjoy themselves because half the stuff comics say is exaggerated BS so as to ensure laughs.
Hosted by James Colley-Channel 9's ridiculous TV shows.
Mary Ward (SMH)- How Australia boosts their psyche by beating poor nations in the Commonwealth Games.
Tiger Webb (Radio National)-There is now word for his massively misshaped d!ck
Swetha Das (Pulp Media)-A very white politician passing himself off as Indian when he is so far removed he doesn't even look close to Indian.
Allison Gallagher (Sports Bra)-Why is there no separated genders with children's toys anymore.
David Cunningham (The Checkout)-Why is there no Nobel prize for war.
Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5

06.03.18 : Joey Page-Perhaps Under Stars That Would Stretch Forever (An Idiot Explains the Universe in Under an Hour) : Giant Dwarf Theatre
The 2 conversations I heard on the way out praised the show, but I found it not remarkable enough. It was one of those shows where you think it's going ok, because you are running on the enthusiasm of expecting something good, but by half distance you realise you and not many people are laughing. It's ok, if a bit mild, but I was expecting something more absurd/abstract based on the blurb. Crowd : 4 - Me : 3

05.03.18 : Story Club - The Last Days of Rome : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I don't know if it was the rain or because there was no big name headliner, but the crowd was at half size. Baby Boomers need names but tonight had a pretty young cast, and even though the youngness gave the impression on age specificness the stories were universal for all ages. The youngness actually remind me of the original Project 52 stories.
Susie Youssef : Susie's flatmate gets very sick.
Veronica Milsom : Waiting 5 hrs due to getting an overbooked flight, only to be upgraded to 1st class and embarrassing herself.
Helen Bidou(Anne 'Eddo' Edmonds) : Her love for Schapelle Corby. - she has a surprisingly strong/good growling singing voice, like no one expected Jim Nabors to sing so well with his heavy accent.
Nina Oyama : Going to a suspect clown school when only 12 years old.
Ally McLean : Going on a 52 hour flight to Trinidad as a professional Cosplayer.
Eddie Sharp : Cured himself of herpes. - this guy can write, because everyone of his stories is clever.
Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 4

05.03.18 : Detective Chinatown 2 - movie
Action, Comedy : Tang and Qin team up to solve a murder in New York's Chinatown. It was cute and slightly amusing for most part, but it changed to something not fun at the end. All Asian movies are pretty loose with logic, details, and coherence - usually not a problem -, but this is more so because of the comedic gags they were trying to cram in - basically it goes from gag to gag without linking them logically -. I have trouble reading subtitles at the start but eventually get the hang of it, but these were so fast I couldn't read them yet alone comprehend them, even at the end - I was reading so fast I was hardly watching the movie -. Fine to pass the time, but I wished it kept it's warm funny cuteness throughout. 2

01.03.18 : Laugh Track Inner-West Roller Derby League fundraiser : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Standup, story telling, and Improv variety night. Even though I knew the 4 comic's routines and 1 of the stories, and one of the Improv troupes wasn't very good, it was still very good. Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4

01.03.18 : Red Sparrow - movie
Mystery, Thriller : Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service. Not an up-lifting action film, but a bleak cruel Cold War Russian spy drama. I would've given it a 4, but it's pretty dark. 3.75

27.02.18 : Game Night - movie
Comedy, Crime, Mystery : A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery. It certainly is a novel idea for a film, but overall it's not done that well. Basically it's not that funny because the comedy is clunky, not very subtle, and not that well done. Wish it was funnier. 2.75

26.02.18 : Black Panther - movie
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi : The King of Wakanda is challenged by an outsider. Hollywood doesn't usually do PC because it reduces profits by alienating some of the audience - there is a disconnect if things are too different from them -, so either I was not in it's demographic or this is a pretty average movie. Too much African tradition with not much happening, and a pretty basic story made it quite dull for me. 2

13.02.18 : Dragon Friends4 - A Live D&D Comedy Show : Giant Dwarf Theatre
I think people are realising this is not people playing D&D but entertainers being entertaining - they should be scored points for being entertaining like QI -, because the place was sold-out. I was expecting the usually dull first episode "establish the story", but what we got was this amazing "do the opposite". You always see this repetitive pattern of, get assigned a task, constant accidental running into creatures, battling them, and a bit of a mystery - usually the best part -. But tonight they did the exact opposite and raced through the whole of Dungeon Dave's script in the first half, without finding out what they are supposed to do. It looks like Dungeon Dave got his just rewards for constantly springing surprise monster attacks, because the pressure was on him for a change to improvise the whole second half story. Comedy is based surprise, i.e. unexpected punchlines, and when every minute of a show is unexpected it's a wonderfully ride. On a side note it looks like it is going to be video-ed, which is great because it adds  extra nuances that make it even more funny, and gives the world a unique look at the only performance based D&D show. Oddly enough standouts on the night were the guest Demi Lardner, and the Ben Jenkins(NPC). Crowd : 5 - Me : 5

05.02.18 : Den of Thieves - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : Heist movie where the cops are more gangster than the gangsters. Thankfully it wasn't a mindless sadistic violence move - like Baby Driver -, but the problem was that it travels too slow for a action/heist movie. It's ok, but they should've cut the personal stuff. 3.5

05.02.18 : Story Club - It’s Complicated : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Even the audience was good for a change.
Ben Jenkins - Wee Wee in the country of Wee Wee. Piss pants in the Paris catacombs.
Penny Greenhalgh - Nutso enthusiastic live Korean shows.
Phil Spencer - A casual racist tradie.
Bec Melrose - Shy Pooping.
Emma Alberici - Recently single and trying to navigate modern dating procedures(Tinder).
David Cunningham - All the power and glory of being "vice" captain.
Crowd : 5 - Me : 5

05.02.18 : Molly's Game - movie
Biography, Crime, Drama : The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game. In a biography I except that every scene is believable, yet there was a few tiny inconsequential points that weren't believable. I also had trouble with the poker terms, so I got lost at points, but overall it's pretty good, just not as good as I, Tonya. 3.75

31.01.18 : I, Tonya - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : The 1994 Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan attack. Even if only half the story is true - the movie is based on interviews with the people so might have been exaggerated in their favour -, that is still one FU story. At the time we though it was all Jeff Gillooly by himself, but we were always unsure if Tonya had anything to do with it so we didn't know to love or hate her - I found it sad at the time to watch her fall apart at the Olympics -. Eye opener, and a bit sad at the end. 3.75

30.01.18 : The Commuter - movie
Action, Crime, Drama : A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home. All the scenarios are so far-out - even for Hollywood - that I had trouble getting into the film because I was always questioning if what I just saw was even possible. It's ok, but I wish I could've somewhat believed it. 3

29.01.18 : The Shape of Water - movie
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy : At a top secret research facility in the 1950s a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature. It's not Sci-Fi so I found it uninteresting. A simple story padded out with strong Art Deco visuals and some weirdness, and not enough substance to fill the 2 hours. Too long and too slow, especially after 2/3, so I lost interest about there. 2

27.01.18 : #WeThePeople LIVE : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Josh Zepps and panel discuss news items, with tonight's show being mainly about Australia day. I don't know anything about Josh Zepps, and whether he is always mild, but the guests(James Valentine, Becky Lucas, James Mathison) were quite good/funny, so it was alright. Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75

25.01.18 : An evening of conversation with Guy Montgomery and Carlo Ritchie : Giant Dwarf Theatre
It's like a late night talk show, but with crazy guests trying to get away with the most improvised BS possible. We had a mechanic mistaken for a politician with the same name, a girl who invented the looking left selfie taken from above, a tiny fancy man, and Dracula's assistant. They were all good with outrageous statements and crazy accents, but it was the mechanic(Will Erimya) trying to BS that he knew about cars, when he didn't, with the hosts pulling him up on the technical points of his statements and him quickly trying to justify, that I found cleverest. It's this type of clever thinking comedy that makes comedy worth while. Crowd : 4 - Me : 4.25

24.01.18 : Waywards Comedy : Bank Hotel
Amanda Gray, Bec Charlwood, Umit Bali, Eric Hutton
It was a quality lineup, and the supports weren't well known so all their stuff was new - first time hearing is always good -, it's just the crowd were too quiet. Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3.75

24.01.18 : Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - movie
Action, Adventure, Comedy : Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game. I didn't see the original but I saw Zathura(2005), and it was pretty boring, but adding exaggerated characters, ie like they have super powers, and bounding them by video game rules made it a lot more interesting. Good. 3.75

23.01.18 : Maze Runner: The Death Cure - movie
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller : Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the "Flare". #1 had a hook by being a slow release mystery that was intriguing, but #2 and this one had no hook so were nothing special. I should've quit after #2, but I guess I had to collect the set. I found it boring. 2

17.01.18 : Wisecracker Wednesday : Oatley Hotel
Sean Woodland(MC), Craig Quartermaine(WA), Christian Elderfield(UK)
I though there was going to be two new comics, but I had seen Christian here before. OK 3.25

16.01.18 : Pitch Perfect 3 - movie
Comedy, Music : Following their win at the world championship the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition - there's more to it than just that -. My first PP was last week with #2, and it was pretty good/funny because it sends it'self up. This one goes even further and crazier, so I found it even better. A lull in the middle but better written and funnier jokes in the first half, with crazy action in the second. 3.75

08.01.18 : Story Club - Starting Over : Giant Dwarf Theatre
Rob Carlton(MC) - Dating cousins
Eliza Reilly - Tonsillectomy gone wrong - people had to get air to stop throwing up from the graphic description -.
Rhys Nicholson - Going to the announcement of the "Yes" vote rally.
Anya Poukchanski - Being a lawyer didn't turn out to be what she expected, at least not one firm.
Alexei Toliopoulos - Scamming Dendy by pickup up discarded vouchers.
Toby Schmitz - Not have a drivers licence.
Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4.25

04.01.18 : Bleeding Steel - movie
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller : A special force(Jackie Chan) agent is assigned to protect a scientist and his creation from a sinister gang. I didn't mind it, but to tell the truth it's a poorly done Marvel comic style of film. It's all over the place and very illogical, like it starts serious drama, then switches to action film, then Sci-Fi  super powers type fantasy, and then comedy, it was just very inconsistent. It has good scenic shots of Sydney through most of it, but if felt like it was slapped together for the Sydney tourist commission. I got a little sleepy at the end due to the inconsistencies, but it passed the time. 2.5