You know that when it comes to Australia, independent films and 3D I'm a complete geek. Today I found something that combines all three!
Watch this interview with director Mark Lewis who shot a documentary about Cane Toad in Australia, and did it in 3D.
This species of toad was imported to Australia in 1930s to control sugar cane larvae. As it almost always happens with alien species introduced to new environments the experiment backfired, and the toad not only easily adapted to Australian climate but began to pose a threat to native fauna. You see, the toad is poisonous and capable of killing such big animals as dogs.
It's a fascinating watch. Recommended!
Go here to read the article by Anne Thompson.
Official website here (thanks for the link Grzegorz :-) )
Find more videos like this on AnneCam
Find more videos like this on AnneCam
Find more videos like this on AnneCam
Find more videos like this on AnneCam
2010/01/30
AUSTRALIAN OPEN - FINALS
Click the pic to go to the official site. You can trace the finals LIVE there.
2010/01/25
BBQ
There is not much left to say really... all teams have passed the magic 50 point line successfully, and all of you will be getting the 5.0 mark :-)
The only one question still open is - Who will take the "Surprise Prize"?
We'll see... :-)
We've been all working really hard this semester so we deserve a good ol' party to finish it with a bang :-D
But it's going to be a "party with a twist"...
Aussies love to put their countrymen in a position of potential embarrassment ("taking the p*ss"), and even though I'm not Australian I'm no different ;-) So tomorrow each team will get a food related task to perform and I'll just sit back and have fun ;-)
Now you have two options:
1) Do nothing and just take it on the chin and see what will happen (thus displaying Aussie quality of being able to laugh at oneself)
or:
2) Try to turn the joke on its head and come victorous (thus following the "underdog wins in the end" scenario).
If you are more inclined to this second solution, you will have to do some reading about renowned Australian foods (and possibly inventions too)
See you tomorrow :-)
The only one question still open is - Who will take the "Surprise Prize"?
We'll see... :-)
We've been all working really hard this semester so we deserve a good ol' party to finish it with a bang :-D
But it's going to be a "party with a twist"...
Aussies love to put their countrymen in a position of potential embarrassment ("taking the p*ss"), and even though I'm not Australian I'm no different ;-) So tomorrow each team will get a food related task to perform and I'll just sit back and have fun ;-)
Now you have two options:
1) Do nothing and just take it on the chin and see what will happen (thus displaying Aussie quality of being able to laugh at oneself)
or:
2) Try to turn the joke on its head and come victorous (thus following the "underdog wins in the end" scenario).
If you are more inclined to this second solution, you will have to do some reading about renowned Australian foods (and possibly inventions too)
See you tomorrow :-)
2010/01/22
Film Club update / TV heads-up
Today is the second anniversary of Heath Ledger's passing away. This talented actor was born in Perth and before embarking on his Hollywood career, he appeared in a number of Aussie productions.
Quite predictably Polish TV channels have geared up to show some of his work tonight.
Ale KINO! is showing Ten Things I Hate About You (1999) at 8:20 pm
It's a teen comedy roughly based on The Taming of the Shrew. Fun and unpretentious. Recommended watching! :-)
At 10:05 pm Ale KINO! will show Casanova (2005)
Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller are having fun bickering in a film that is like a glass of champagne - light and funny. Worth watching.
Polsat will show The Order (aka Sin Eater) (2003) at 10:00 pm
It's a story of a young priest sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order - one of the most bizarre films Heath ever appeared in. It was directer by Brian Helgeland - the man who wrote the screenplay for L.A. Confidential and wrote and directed The Knight's Tale. This time though something just didn't work, and the film is not good. Still worth your consideration if you are fans. ;-)
At 00:15 am Polsat will show Candy (2006)
This film is a critically acclaimed portrayal of love between two heroine junkies. It's on our Film Club list anyway so if you don't watch it now, we'll still catch up on it in spring.
Quite predictably Polish TV channels have geared up to show some of his work tonight.
Ale KINO! is showing Ten Things I Hate About You (1999) at 8:20 pm
It's a teen comedy roughly based on The Taming of the Shrew. Fun and unpretentious. Recommended watching! :-)
At 10:05 pm Ale KINO! will show Casanova (2005)
Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller are having fun bickering in a film that is like a glass of champagne - light and funny. Worth watching.
Polsat will show The Order (aka Sin Eater) (2003) at 10:00 pm
It's a story of a young priest sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order - one of the most bizarre films Heath ever appeared in. It was directer by Brian Helgeland - the man who wrote the screenplay for L.A. Confidential and wrote and directed The Knight's Tale. This time though something just didn't work, and the film is not good. Still worth your consideration if you are fans. ;-)
At 00:15 am Polsat will show Candy (2006)
This film is a critically acclaimed portrayal of love between two heroine junkies. It's on our Film Club list anyway so if you don't watch it now, we'll still catch up on it in spring.
2010/01/20
Gecko's tip of the week
Grzegorz has sent me this
It's really amazing! Thanks for sharing, mate :-) *thumbs up*
It's really amazing! Thanks for sharing, mate :-) *thumbs up*
2010/01/19
Tuesday BBQ leftovers...
Some clips I promised today:
We start off with the amazing "Bunyip song" from Dot and the Kangaroo
And for some adorable kids' jokes go here :-)
Next in line is the opening of DIRTY DEEDS - an Aussie gangster flick set against the booming casino underworld of late 1960s Sydney. Bryan Brown (COCKTAIL, THE THORN BIRDS) stars as Barry Ryan, an Australian mobster who controls the city's gambling scene and is making a killing from the casino slot machines. His profitable venture attracts the unwanted attention of the American Mafia, who attempt to secure a piece of the action by sending in two of their henchmen: the pensive, world-weary veteran Tony (John Goodman) and his violent, not-too-bright sidekick Sal (Felix Williamson). Ryan soon finds himself fending off the trigger-happy Yanks, Outback-style, while also contending with his feisty wife (Toni Collette), needy mistress (Kestie Morassi), and a crooked cop (Sam Neill). Utilising flashy camerawork, black comedy, and mobster protagonists, writer/director David Caesar tips his hat to the criminal capers of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, while lending the proceedings a distinctly Down Under flair.
One of the stars is Toni Collette. I'm sure you've seen her but just may not remember ther name. She was Muriel in Muriel's Wedding and the suicidal Fiona in About a Boy.
On Sunday Toni landed the Golden Globe Award for her role in TV series United States of Tara. Good on you Toni! :-)
Here is she being interviewed by Rove McManus.
What a funny, unpretentious actress, isn't she? :-)
Finally the trailer for Two Hands. I love this film, don't know what else I can say... You just need to see it and judge for yourself. It's definitely one of these love/hate flicks, either you get it or not.
We start off with the amazing "Bunyip song" from Dot and the Kangaroo
And for some adorable kids' jokes go here :-)
Next in line is the opening of DIRTY DEEDS - an Aussie gangster flick set against the booming casino underworld of late 1960s Sydney. Bryan Brown (COCKTAIL, THE THORN BIRDS) stars as Barry Ryan, an Australian mobster who controls the city's gambling scene and is making a killing from the casino slot machines. His profitable venture attracts the unwanted attention of the American Mafia, who attempt to secure a piece of the action by sending in two of their henchmen: the pensive, world-weary veteran Tony (John Goodman) and his violent, not-too-bright sidekick Sal (Felix Williamson). Ryan soon finds himself fending off the trigger-happy Yanks, Outback-style, while also contending with his feisty wife (Toni Collette), needy mistress (Kestie Morassi), and a crooked cop (Sam Neill). Utilising flashy camerawork, black comedy, and mobster protagonists, writer/director David Caesar tips his hat to the criminal capers of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, while lending the proceedings a distinctly Down Under flair.
One of the stars is Toni Collette. I'm sure you've seen her but just may not remember ther name. She was Muriel in Muriel's Wedding and the suicidal Fiona in About a Boy.
Bryan Brown (Barry) and Toni Collette (Barry's wife Sharon) in Dirty Deeds
On Sunday Toni landed the Golden Globe Award for her role in TV series United States of Tara. Good on you Toni! :-)
Here is she being interviewed by Rove McManus.
What a funny, unpretentious actress, isn't she? :-)
Finally the trailer for Two Hands. I love this film, don't know what else I can say... You just need to see it and judge for yourself. It's definitely one of these love/hate flicks, either you get it or not.
2010/01/17
The letter "K"
Three main topics this time and I thought we could divide the work equally - I'm doing one of them, another we'll do together, and the last one you will prepare on your own. How does it sound for you, eh? ;-)
1. King's Cross (or a loving look at Australian crime scene). This one's MINE!
The soul of a nation is frequently defined by its outlaws. We'll be talking at lenght in the future about the likes of Ned Kelly, but on Tuesday we'll just have a look at present day criminals and their portrayal in various media (but mostly films).
2. Kids' TV programmes and books
You may remember from our first classes the clip in which Dylan Moran makes fun of Australians. One thing he says at the end is that the real reason why he came to Oz is to "kill a Wiggle". I promised you then that we'd come back to the topic and I'd explain what Wiggles are.
Well... this time has come.
I'm really, REALLY sorry! I'm about to waste over 3 minutes of your life... But there is no other way to illustrate the sheer horror of Wiggles. And there is no way for you, either, to brace yourself against it.
Here it comes:
Keep in mind that this is a programme aimed at six-year-old kids and younger. And you thought something was internally wrong with Teletubbies... ;-)
To recover from the Wiggles ordeal go here to read about great Aussie literature for kiddies.
3. Kangaroos
I expect each team to find 5 unique facts about kangaroos. Don't just copy what you can find in Wikipedia, instead browse the net and find some trivia that may be surprising for the memebers of other teams. Shake them a little, give them a good ride for the points! I'll be awarding originality.
1. King's Cross (or a loving look at Australian crime scene). This one's MINE!
The soul of a nation is frequently defined by its outlaws. We'll be talking at lenght in the future about the likes of Ned Kelly, but on Tuesday we'll just have a look at present day criminals and their portrayal in various media (but mostly films).
2. Kids' TV programmes and books
You may remember from our first classes the clip in which Dylan Moran makes fun of Australians. One thing he says at the end is that the real reason why he came to Oz is to "kill a Wiggle". I promised you then that we'd come back to the topic and I'd explain what Wiggles are.
Well... this time has come.
I'm really, REALLY sorry! I'm about to waste over 3 minutes of your life... But there is no other way to illustrate the sheer horror of Wiggles. And there is no way for you, either, to brace yourself against it.
Here it comes:
Keep in mind that this is a programme aimed at six-year-old kids and younger. And you thought something was internally wrong with Teletubbies... ;-)
To recover from the Wiggles ordeal go here to read about great Aussie literature for kiddies.
3. Kangaroos
I expect each team to find 5 unique facts about kangaroos. Don't just copy what you can find in Wikipedia, instead browse the net and find some trivia that may be surprising for the memebers of other teams. Shake them a little, give them a good ride for the points! I'll be awarding originality.
Aussie TV crew help rescue a baby
AN Australian television crew assisted in rescuing a child from rubble in Haiti today.
(full story here)
Rescuers pulled 16-month-old Winnie Tilin alive from the ruins of a house and passed the child to Australian journalist Mike Amor, who is reporting for Channel 7 Australia.
Workers with Save the Children Fund fed Winnie and gave her fresh water to drink. The toddler appeared to be in good shape despite her ordeal.(full story here)
2010/01/12
Film Club Online
Adding two new films to our virtual screening room.
Most of you have seen Bootmen by now, but those who couldn't make it can catch up.
The second one we had a chance to preview in the class today and you seemed to like it a lot. So here it goes. Rogue is not your typical croc horror. It's an Aussie croc horror which means the plot is much less predictable than in any American flick. ;-)
Please observe our terms and conditions of use!
Most of you have seen Bootmen by now, but those who couldn't make it can catch up.
The second one we had a chance to preview in the class today and you seemed to like it a lot. So here it goes. Rogue is not your typical croc horror. It's an Aussie croc horror which means the plot is much less predictable than in any American flick. ;-)
Please observe our terms and conditions of use!
2010/01/10
The letter "J"
You're going to love this one - only ONE topic this week! :-)
Jeopardy
Watch the clip by our old friends The Scared Weird Little Guys and try to note down as many threats that await you in Australia as you can.
Being precautious tourists you may also want to find out how to protect yourselves and what to do if you get bitten.
Have fun ;-)
An interesting website you may consider reading preparing for the classes.
Jeopardy
Watch the clip by our old friends The Scared Weird Little Guys and try to note down as many threats that await you in Australia as you can.
Being precautious tourists you may also want to find out how to protect yourselves and what to do if you get bitten.
Have fun ;-)
An interesting website you may consider reading preparing for the classes.
2010/01/03
The letter "I"
It's time to get back to work... Sorry ;-)
Luckily we have a bunch of interesting topics this week.
1. Let's start off with islands. Click on the picture to learn more.
2. Grzegorz will be happy to learn that we are going back to the topics connected with indigenous Australians and their culture. ;-) The pictures will take you to related readings.
Architecture
Art
Ceremony: song, music & dance
Tools and technology
3. There will also be a "mystery topic" for you. (And don't worry, it will have nothing to do with blue-skinned aliens with tails ;-) )
I just thought it might be fun to test your intuition and let you do something without any prior preparation.
Luckily we have a bunch of interesting topics this week.
1. Let's start off with islands. Click on the picture to learn more.
2. Grzegorz will be happy to learn that we are going back to the topics connected with indigenous Australians and their culture. ;-) The pictures will take you to related readings.
Architecture
Art
Ceremony: song, music & dance
Tools and technology
3. There will also be a "mystery topic" for you. (And don't worry, it will have nothing to do with blue-skinned aliens with tails ;-) )
I just thought it might be fun to test your intuition and let you do something without any prior preparation.
2010/01/02
ANOTHER OFF TOPIC...
... but this is something I want to share with you.
I've always believed that the best way to learn a given country's culture is to immerse oneself in it. And the easiest and most pleasurable way to do it is to watch commedy programmes and satirical social commentaries.
Once a year British television broadcasts The Big Fat Quiz of the Year where three pairs of TV celebrities answer questions about politics, economy and showbiz in Britain and abroad. It's a fascinating watch, sometimes laugh-out-loud stuff, and very informative. You don't notice how fast you absorb all the pieces of trivia ;-)
Enjoy! :-)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
[edit Jan 7: links reposted, the sound is now OK]
Warning: strong language (!), adult jokes (!)
I've always believed that the best way to learn a given country's culture is to immerse oneself in it. And the easiest and most pleasurable way to do it is to watch commedy programmes and satirical social commentaries.
Once a year British television broadcasts The Big Fat Quiz of the Year where three pairs of TV celebrities answer questions about politics, economy and showbiz in Britain and abroad. It's a fascinating watch, sometimes laugh-out-loud stuff, and very informative. You don't notice how fast you absorb all the pieces of trivia ;-)
Enjoy! :-)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
[edit Jan 7: links reposted, the sound is now OK]
Warning: strong language (!), adult jokes (!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR...
... to you all folks. You are a wonderful bunch, you know that! :-)
I was waiting for these videos to surface in better quality. Pity I can't embed them here but please click on the pictures to watch Sydney fireworks display. Aussies do it the best! (*)
Part 1
Part 2
[Trivia time: one of the songs used in the display is When Love Takes Over - for some bizarre reason it's seen as "typically Aussie". And yep, all Australians I know love it. ;-) ]
* I well know I'm biased but can't help it ;-)
I was waiting for these videos to surface in better quality. Pity I can't embed them here but please click on the pictures to watch Sydney fireworks display. Aussies do it the best! (*)
Part 1
Part 2
[Trivia time: one of the songs used in the display is When Love Takes Over - for some bizarre reason it's seen as "typically Aussie". And yep, all Australians I know love it. ;-) ]
* I well know I'm biased but can't help it ;-)
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