matouenpeluche

Out and about early August

Fountain in Martin Place, parrots in The Australian Museum, native somethings in the wildflower gardens, Queen Victoria in Queen's Square Sydney city, ornamental purple and white cabbage - y things in Hyde Park.

Dachshunds...

I thought it was time all the dog lovers out there had something they could relate to as well ...Queen Victoria was apparently a huge dog fancier. She owned the first dachshund in England in the 1840s and later had another dachshund called Waldman IV who was reportedly "the very favourite dachshund of Queen Victoria". You can read more about the royals and their respective dogs here.

Things I enjoyed watching in 2017 (part I)

This is a list, in no particular order, of the series, documentaries and movies that stood out for me in the televisual viewing arena of 2017.

 

The Roosevelts - An Intimate History and Ken Burns. 

Image from here

It's no secret that I am a keen documentary aficionado. There is nothing quite like the pleasure of stumbling across a super fine doco. My last big "Wow" moment regarding documentaries was discovering the marvellous work of Adam Cutis (who I've written about before). This year, I discovered another great documentary film maker in Ken Burns. I watched "The Roosevelts - an Intimate History" first and was so completely absorbed by it that I am now keen to watch all his work. Ken Burns manages to make his beautifully constructed documentaries both very entertaining and very informative. Each episode in any of his documentaries is packed with insights and revelations about the subject matter he tackles in addition to social and historical back drop details that really give you a feeling that you are being presented with the complete picture. So far, the other Ken Burns documentaries that I would highly recommend are "Cancer - the Emperor of all Maladies" and "Vietnam". 

Comrade Detective

Image from here.

Maybe like a lot of people, I started watching this 1970s Romanian Soviet era detective series thinking it was for real! I thought it was hilarious with its deliberately clunky anti-capitalist plot lines and narrative! Then after some investigation, I found out it was a spoof that takes off propaganda Soviet era tv. But it is beautifully done (really shot in Romania with Romanian actors and dubbed over by well known American actors) and still amusing once you get the gag. And actually, by episode two I started watching it as a straight detective story and I found the pointed comments about capitalism actually pretty thoughtful. It's well made, smart and fun.  

Mindhorn

Image from here.

Like "Comrade Detective" this comedy/ detective movie is based on a fictional 1970s era detective series, however this film is set in the present and involves the "has-been" lead actor of the 1970s detective show, "Mindhorn" being roped in as part of a present day crime investigation. It was co-written and stars one of my favourite British comedians Julian Barnett (Of "The Mighty Boosh" etc) who is engagingly silly as actor Richard Thorncroft. This trailer gives you a good idea of "Mindhorn".

The Revenant

Image from here.

I know this was a 2016 academy award winning masterpiece, but I only just watched it last week! I wouldn't normally persevere with such a sad and brutal tale, but the cinematography, acting and story telling film craft are out of this world terrific. No wonder it was so well thought of at the time.  

Mindhunter

Image from here.

"Mindhunter" is the David Fincher FBI drama that (maybe partly true?) explores the beginnings of FBI profiling for serial killers in the United States. It was a very different sort of police series in that it was not really a procedural, but then again it wasn't really straight drama either. Being a David Fincher production, it looked great and the acting was solidly well done. The music also, both overt and atmospheric, was particularly noteworthy. I think there's another series in production which should be interesting as I'd like to see where the plot line takes the characters.

 

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot - Jacques Tati

Image from here.

Maybe you have already seen this 1953 gem, but I only just managed to see it this year. It is enchanting! I now understand why Jacques Tati is held in such high regard. 

Honourable mentions:

1) The Crown series 2 - just as good as the first. 

2) Ozark - I liked it despite the grim story line, largely due to the fabulous location and the fine acting put in by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.  

3) Becoming Bond - the George Lazenby story. What an incredible ripping yarn!!

4) Bosch series 3 - Still good for me in series 3.

5) Carol - Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are wonderful in this 1950s period piece romance by Todd Haynes. 

6) Friday on my Mind - The story of the Easy Beats. Some real finds here acting wise. The young actors who played George Young and Stevie Wright have a big future ahead of them I think! It was also fun watching the second part and playing spot the Kings Cross, Rocks and Potts Point locations standing in for London!

Cat + confetti

Christmas approacheth, therefore, Cat + Confetti. Jim understands that confetti is a festive/ celebratory thing, but nevertheless is still not entirely sure about it. Meanwhile, only one more sleep until The Crown series two appeareth on Netflix! Alas, no John Lithgow as Winston Churchill this time, but plenty of grippingly English historical events to partake in such as The Suez crisis and rebel Princess Margaret being courted by Antony Armstrong-Jones.  

Sandringham Memorial Garden and Fountain - Hyde Park, Sydney

I went for a quick one hour saunter to the city today to specifically take some photos of a very pretty corner of Hyde Park that I've always admired. It is the Sandringham Memorial Garden and Fountain which was completed and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. It is a memorial to King George VI (her father) and King George V (you can see their initials and numbers on the two gates above). The City of Sydney has quite a good blurb about the memorial here. I've always enjoyed the jazzy orange mosaic of the fountain and the interesting design of the gates. Today was an especially good day to visit as the planting around the sunken fountain was very fetching!

Famous Cat People

Something I've been working on this weekend: Famous Cat People. And here I have also collected some interesting tidbits about each of these terrific people.

Mark Twain was a very keen cat fancier and was quoted as saying, "When a man loves a cat, I am his friend without any further introduction." Here are some more Mark Twain cat quotes and also some photos he took of his beloved cats too. 

Queen Victoria was a very keen animal humanitarian and had a number of pets during her life (mostly dogs) which included a pretty white persian cat called White Heather. You can learn about her love of animals and the white persian here.

French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette had a number of cats that she was very fond of and even wrote a book called "La Chatte" which features a cat as one of the main protagonists.

Isaac Newton, discoverer of gravity and inventor of the cat flap door! Yes, that's apparently correct, Sir Isaac Newton invented the cat flap door for his cat Spithead. Spithead would open the door to his room which Newton wasn't too happy about and so invented the cat flap door in 1700. Read all about it here. 

Winston Churchill was a huge cat fancier and had one called Tango (a ginger tom) and another called Mickey (a tabby). For more stories of Churchill's cats click here. 

John Lennon was a lifelong cat fancier and owned a number of them over the years including: Elvis, Salt and Pepper and Major and Minor to name but a few. More info here.

Vivien Leigh was very passionate about siamese cats and had a number of them given to her by her husband Sir Lawrence Olivier. Their names were Tissy, New Boy and Poo Jones. You can read more about her history with cats here.

The well known Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale reportedly owned sixty cats plus over the course of her life! Wow!

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II is officially the longest reigning UK monarch as she has just passed Queen Victoria's previous record of 63 years and 216 days on the throne. Above (top) is a contact sheet taken by Cecil Beaton before she was queen (1942) and later another contact sheet also by Cecil Beaton taken in 1968. And below I have a reimagined contact sheet of a photo shoot with the Queen by cartoonist Ralph Steadman. 

First image from here, second from here and Ralph Steadman cartoon from Between the Eyes.

Wall Art

These beautiful murals are in the Goess Apartment which is within the Schloss Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria. Hand painted by Johan Bergl, they were commissioned by Marie Antoinette's mother Maria Theresa who had received Schonbrunn as a present from her father. I think these murals and rooms are incredibly lovely! You can read more about the rooms and palace gardens here and here.  Photos by Alan Carroll.

Trending: Sparkle

I am very keen on this new (small) trend for silver sequins as worn by: Julian Moore (Givenchy), Dakota Johnson (Chanel Couture), The Duchess of Cambridge (Jenny Packard), Dakota Johnson (Sonia Rykiel) and Felicity Jones (Valentino).

Cannes 2014 : Nicole Kidman

So, I have found my new favourite thing - a one star movie review. Apparently, Nicole  Kidman's "Grace of Monaco" that opened Cannes is truly, truly terrible. However, the review of "Grace of Monaco" in the Guardian is a real treat to read! It made me laugh out loud. A lot. But, Nicole Kidman can console herself with the knowledge that she looked utterly lovely in her twinkly Armani gown at the opening premier. Behold:

I adore her in blue. It's a very pretty colour with her complexion, don't you think?

And speaking of Nicole Kidman, OK she may not have had a terrific track record at the box office of late, but boy does she know how to rock the red carpet! Am I right or am I right?

All photos from here, here and here.