Castlemaine Gaol. Built in the mid-1800s to imprison offenders during Victoria’s goldrush, it staged 10 documented executions, the last held in 1876. It was decomissioned as a jail in 1990, having since undergone several transformations: as a hotel, tourist attraction, school camp, conference centre, and most recently as a community radio station. Although it is a Heritage Australia site, the Mount Alexander Council recently sold it, and parts of the gaol will apparently undergo residential development. The location is lovely, but can you picture yourself living in an ex-jail?  (Taken with Instagram) High-res

Castlemaine Gaol. Built in the mid-1800s to imprison offenders during Victoria’s goldrush, it staged 10 documented executions, the last held in 1876. It was decomissioned as a jail in 1990, having since undergone several transformations: as a hotel, tourist attraction, school camp, conference centre, and most recently as a community radio station. Although it is a Heritage Australia site, the Mount Alexander Council recently sold it, and parts of the gaol will apparently undergo residential development. The location is lovely, but can you picture yourself living in an ex-jail?  (Taken with Instagram)

“Melbourne is experiencing a record shortage of cheap private rental homes, with just 0.3 per cent of new lettings (or 26 homes) deemed affordable to singles on Newstart, according to Victoria’s housing department’s latest rental report… A recent Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute report said physical comfort was a basic precondition for ‘“feeling at home” and that households that rent faced psychological and health effects from having a lesser degree of control over their living environment.”

The Age.

Melbourne’s rental market is presenting a wide range of socio-economic and  health problems for welfare recipients, including respiratory illnesses and depression, as they struggle in sub-standard housing conditions. Single parent families are especially vulnerable to exploitation in the current rental market. The government has stated that it cannot intervene as the private rental market is outside of their domain, however it is set to review Victoria’s public housing sector.

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Day 1: [REC]³ Génesis. Spanish film with English subtitles. Screens with the impressive, low-budget short Australian zombie flick Perished. Like most adoring fans of the [REC] franchise, I came to this film brimming with excitement. REC³ Genesis (the third REC film) is the first of 15 films I’m watching at the MIFF. Unfortunately, this third instalment is disappointing - primarily because of it does not live up to the [REC] legacy. Taught and inventive, the first [REC] film was released in 2007, delivering effective horror and using the shaky cam mockumentary style to full effect. Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza and their other writing collaborator, Luiso (Luis) Berdejo, [REC] introduced horror fans to a strong new female protagonist.  Ángela Vidal  (played by Manuela Velasco) is a reporter who accompanies a fireman crew to an apartment building, her every move chronicled by her faithful cameraman. The audience soon learns that the apartment complex is home to an ever-increasing number of tenants who are infected with a mysterious virus that turns them into quick-limbered zombies. Velasco delivers a great performance that compelled the audience to care for her character as she screamed, ran, fought and crawled through the chaos and in the darkness.  The second film, [REC²], opens immediately where the first film leaves off, with a SWAT Team storming the apartment building seeking to restore order and to figure out what transpired. We view the unfolding mayhem through the SWAT members’ helmet cams. The team is accompanied by a gravely serious priest who is motivated to stay in the building even as the body count rises, intent on seeking out the source of the zombie infestation.  These two [REC] films invigorated the zombie genre by blending supernatural and religious themes with a brilliant and frightening twist. Having established a relatively complex mythology explaining the zombie plague, fans flock to the latest film with assurance that this legend will take more thrilling and unexpected turns. Instead, we get a comedic and notably pedestrian fare. I feel conflicted about REC Genesis. If you’ve not seen the other two films, nor the competent American remakes, Quarantine and Quarantine 2: Terminal (also penned and helmed by the original Spanish writer-directors), then REC Genesis stands as an above average and enjoyable zombie romp. For fans of the first two REC films, it seems inevitable that you will be left wanting. The two leads in REC Genesis make an amiable pair to watch. Clara (played by Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martín) are newlyweds whose wedding reception becomes the scene of a massacre as one of the guests carries the zombie infection, having crossed paths with one of the unfortunate tenants from the first film. Apart from this tenuous connection, Genesis does little to extend the story that evolved over the other REC films. There is more religious injection into this plot, but it lacks the provocative and terrifying lick of the previous films. The audience will still barrack for the survival of the young lovers in REC Genesis. The bride is played with beguiling gusto by Dolera, proving once again that these Spanish film-makers cast strong female leads without overly sexualising them. Nevertheless, the bride in Genesis incredulously chainsaws only one side of her wedding dress so her garter shows while she continues to run in ridiculously high heels throughout the latter part of the film. Such an ill conceived heterosexual male fantasy that women would want to, or be able to maintain, such ridiculous fashion choices during the zombie apocalypse! (It’s a real thing, jeepers!) REC Genesis provides genuine laughs at times, but it is unconcerned with scaring its committed audience. Comedic zombie films have an established history, with horror master George Romero re-styling his Night of the Living Dead series as a horror comedy in the 1980s. The excessive gore in REC Genesis is played as slapstick. The narrative ambles along in entertaining but predictable grooves. Overall, the tone of this film lacks the punch of the previous REC movies, which unfurled as a clever, elongated fear feast. On the one hand, it is commendable that the REC writing-directing-producing team of three set out to reinvent and push their original story further into new territory, rather than playing it safe and delivering derivative thrills. On the other hand, in this particular case, the comedic horror style was a miscalculation for their established audience. The first two REC films stand together as a blistering example of the majesty of the horror genre. When horror films are conceived with passion for intelligent audiences, they deliver solid characters and stories of morality and human endurance through unexpected frights that delight. REC Genesis does not meet this promise, nor does it stand up to the calibre of its predecessors. Neither thrilling nor inventive, it doesn’t move its audience’s imagination nor does it inspire us to ponder and debate the macabre. Rating: Credit - 6.5 out of 10 Zombie Bites. A cut above the other zombie flicks plaguing our screens, but mediocre when held up to the first two trailblazing RECs. It screens at the MIFF again this Friday, should you bother going along? “Short answer, ‘Yes’ with an ‘If,’ long answer: ‘No’ with a ‘But’.” If you haven’t seen the other RECs and you feel like a laugh, by all means go forth and zombie. Otherwise, I recommend you go instead to V/H/S (which I’ll be reviewing next) or any of the other horror films screening at the MIFF, such as the Australian film 100 Bloody Acres, which looks ace. Can’t wait to see it in general release.  High-res

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Day 1: [REC]³ Génesis.

Spanish film with English subtitles. Screens with the impressive, low-budget short Australian zombie flick Perished.

Like most adoring fans of the [REC] franchise, I came to this film brimming with excitement. REC³ Genesis (the third REC film) is the first of 15 films I’m watching at the MIFF. Unfortunately, this third instalment is disappointing - primarily because of it does not live up to the [REC] legacy.

Taught and inventive, the first [REC] film was released in 2007, delivering effective horror and using the shaky cam mockumentary style to full effect. Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza and their other writing collaborator, Luiso (Luis) Berdejo, [REC] introduced horror fans to a strong new female protagonist.  Ángela Vidal  (played by Manuela Velasco) is a reporter who accompanies a fireman crew to an apartment building, her every move chronicled by her faithful cameraman. The audience soon learns that the apartment complex is home to an ever-increasing number of tenants who are infected with a mysterious virus that turns them into quick-limbered zombies. Velasco delivers a great performance that compelled the audience to care for her character as she screamed, ran, fought and crawled through the chaos and in the darkness. 

The second film, [REC²], opens immediately where the first film leaves off, with a SWAT Team storming the apartment building seeking to restore order and to figure out what transpired. We view the unfolding mayhem through the SWAT members’ helmet cams. The team is accompanied by a gravely serious priest who is motivated to stay in the building even as the body count rises, intent on seeking out the source of the zombie infestation. 

These two [REC] films invigorated the zombie genre by blending supernatural and religious themes with a brilliant and frightening twist. Having established a relatively complex mythology explaining the zombie plague, fans flock to the latest film with assurance that this legend will take more thrilling and unexpected turns. Instead, we get a comedic and notably pedestrian fare.

I feel conflicted about REC Genesis. If you’ve not seen the other two films, nor the competent American remakes, Quarantine and Quarantine 2: Terminal (also penned and helmed by the original Spanish writer-directors), then REC Genesis stands as an above average and enjoyable zombie romp. For fans of the first two REC films, it seems inevitable that you will be left wanting.

The two leads in REC Genesis make an amiable pair to watch. Clara (played by Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martín) are newlyweds whose wedding reception becomes the scene of a massacre as one of the guests carries the zombie infection, having crossed paths with one of the unfortunate tenants from the first film. Apart from this tenuous connection, Genesis does little to extend the story that evolved over the other REC films. There is more religious injection into this plot, but it lacks the provocative and terrifying lick of the previous films.

The audience will still barrack for the survival of the young lovers in REC Genesis. The bride is played with beguiling gusto by Dolera, proving once again that these Spanish film-makers cast strong female leads without overly sexualising them. Nevertheless, the bride in Genesis incredulously chainsaws only one side of her wedding dress so her garter shows while she continues to run in ridiculously high heels throughout the latter part of the film. Such an ill conceived heterosexual male fantasy that women would want to, or be able to maintain, such ridiculous fashion choices during the zombie apocalypse! (It’s a real thing, jeepers!)

REC Genesis provides genuine laughs at times, but it is unconcerned with scaring its committed audience. Comedic zombie films have an established history, with horror master George Romero re-styling his Night of the Living Dead series as a horror comedy in the 1980s. The excessive gore in REC Genesis is played as slapstick. The narrative ambles along in entertaining but predictable grooves. Overall, the tone of this film lacks the punch of the previous REC movies, which unfurled as a clever, elongated fear feast.

On the one hand, it is commendable that the REC writing-directing-producing team of three set out to reinvent and push their original story further into new territory, rather than playing it safe and delivering derivative thrills. On the other hand, in this particular case, the comedic horror style was a miscalculation for their established audience. The first two REC films stand together as a blistering example of the majesty of the horror genre. When horror films are conceived with passion for intelligent audiences, they deliver solid characters and stories of morality and human endurance through unexpected frights that delight. REC Genesis does not meet this promise, nor does it stand up to the calibre of its predecessors. Neither thrilling nor inventive, it doesn’t move its audience’s imagination nor does it inspire us to ponder and debate the macabre.

Rating: Credit - 6.5 out of 10 Zombie Bites. A cut above the other zombie flicks plaguing our screens, but mediocre when held up to the first two trailblazing RECs.

It screens at the MIFF again this Friday, should you bother going along?

“Short answer, ‘Yes’ with an ‘If,’ long answer: ‘No’ with a ‘But’.” If you haven’t seen the other RECs and you feel like a laugh, by all means go forth and zombie. Otherwise, I recommend you go instead to V/H/S (which I’ll be reviewing next) or any of the other horror films screening at the MIFF, such as the Australian film 100 Bloody Acres, which looks ace. Can’t wait to see it in general release. 

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). Today marks Day 4 of the MIFF for me. I’ve got a mini pass for the festival which gets me into 13 films, plus I’m seeing another two on top of that - 15 all up… and counting. It’s a back-to-back schedule where I’m running around from one end of town the the other and trying to get other work done in between, but it has been fantastic so far.  For the most part, I planned my viewing choices around films that do not yet have a release date. Melbourne Gastronome was helpful, as they have a list of films that have already been picked up for distribution in Australia, which helped narrow my initial pool of around 50 films (from the 350-odd movies being screened at this year’s MIFF). I also decided to stick to overseas films hoping the Aussie films I’m interested in will be released soon. I’ll be posting reviews of the films I’ve seen so far. First up tonight is Rec Genesis. The forthcoming reviews include the brilliant horror film V/H/S; the intelligent and ambiguous Sound of My Voice, about a charismatic cult leader who may or may not be a time traveller; the beautiful Chilean film Bonsai, celebrating the pleasures and failures of writing and love; and the searing The House I Live In, a documentary about the historical, socio-economic and legal impact of America’s “war on drugs”.  This is the third film festival I’ve been to in the past month or so. I’ll do a retrospective about the Arab and Spanish Film festivals in due time. So many wonderful and inspiring treats for the imagination! High-res

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

Today marks Day 4 of the MIFF for me. I’ve got a mini pass for the festival which gets me into 13 films, plus I’m seeing another two on top of that - 15 all up… and counting. It’s a back-to-back schedule where I’m running around from one end of town the the other and trying to get other work done in between, but it has been fantastic so far. 

For the most part, I planned my viewing choices around films that do not yet have a release date. Melbourne Gastronome was helpful, as they have a list of films that have already been picked up for distribution in Australia, which helped narrow my initial pool of around 50 films (from the 350-odd movies being screened at this year’s MIFF). I also decided to stick to overseas films hoping the Aussie films I’m interested in will be released soon.

I’ll be posting reviews of the films I’ve seen so far. First up tonight is Rec Genesis. The forthcoming reviews include the brilliant horror film V/H/S; the intelligent and ambiguous Sound of My Voice, about a charismatic cult leader who may or may not be a time traveller; the beautiful Chilean film Bonsai, celebrating the pleasures and failures of writing and love; and the searing The House I Live In, a documentary about the historical, socio-economic and legal impact of America’s “war on drugs”. 

This is the third film festival I’ve been to in the past month or so. I’ll do a retrospective about the Arab and Spanish Film festivals in due time. So many wonderful and inspiring treats for the imagination!

Fred Williams (1973) Lysterfield Landscape. Williams is one of Australia’s most revered abstract landscape painters. This piece helped make him an icon. The composition evokes a triptych structure, with its depiction of the swamp, hills and sky. When I studied art at school, I disliked Williams’ work because there were a group of boys who would make bland replicas. Over time, I have learned to appreciate the texture and emotion in Williams’ paintings. His reverence for the unique palette of the Australian bush has won me over. Over the past six years, I have taken many long drives interstate and not once did I fail to revel in the beauty of the Victorian countryside without thinking of Williams’ art.

Fred Williams (1973) Lysterfield Landscape.

Williams is one of Australia’s most revered abstract landscape painters. This piece helped make him an icon. The composition evokes a triptych structure, with its depiction of the swamp, hills and sky.

When I studied art at school, I disliked Williams’ work because there were a group of boys who would make bland replicas. Over time, I have learned to appreciate the texture and emotion in Williams’ paintings. His reverence for the unique palette of the Australian bush has won me over. Over the past six years, I have taken many long drives interstate and not once did I fail to revel in the beauty of the Victorian countryside without thinking of Williams’ art.