New Film /

Sarah Watt’s My Year Without Sex trailer

An Australian film that focuses on the hardships suffered by a typical lower-class family. I can feel you cringe, but there’s no need. This isn’t another clanger that relies on clichés and lame jokes, that portrays average Australians as simple and backward. Here are intelligent, warm, loving people struggling with a series of hardships with individuality, honesty and strength.

Many previous films have tried and failed to capture a particularly Australian aesthetic, and this picture succeeds because it is non-judgmental about the characters and their choices, instead choosing only to relay to us their actions. If you’re sick of seeing the same tired formula and need a break from flawless bodies, explosions and romantic clichés, search out this film. For another standout Australian picture, also check out writer-director Sarah Watt’s previous effort Look Both Ways.

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Animal Kingdom: Australian crime movie

Australia has been criticized for only doing two types of films well: the quirky comedy such as Strictly Ballroom, Priscilla or Crocodile Dundee, and the hardened drama that centres around crime such as Two Hands, Noise and Lantana. Animal Kingdom firmly sits in the second category and while lacking the humour of those mentioned, it makes up for it with some shockingly bleak scenes. Read more

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Samson and Delilah, an Australian movie

This is not an enjoyable film, but it is excellent. Immediately after watching Samson and Delilah, I thought it was awful. Exactly because I thought it was awful, a week later I’m convinced it’s brilliant. There are many different types of films. Some are immensely entertaining, but immediately forgettable. Like Avatar. Others stick with you, no matter how much you wish they wouldn’t, because they show you a truth about the world that you wish wasn’t so spot on. Samson and Delilah is based around the real-life experiences of director Warwick Thornton and present a part of Australia that most people, myself included, suspected existed, but really wish it didn’t. Now, what the hell do we do about it?

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Balibo: Australian documentary about East Timor

For a small country so close to Australia, so many of us know way too little about East Timor. Balibo makes it clear that the small nation was invaded by the Indonesians over thirty years ago, while Australia let it happen. This well paced, passionately acted portrayal of the events centres around the death of five young Australian journalists. Experienced Australian journalist Roger East tries to find out what happened to them, with the help of Jose Ramos Horta, who is still a pertinent figure in East Timorese politics. Anthony Lapaglia gives a spirited performance as East, who at one point comments, “Thousand of little brown people die; nobody back home (in Australia) is going to care. But five Australian journalists are killed and that’s front page news.” Which helps explain why their deaths were kept covered up for three decades. [read about more Australian pop culture at The Colour]

Also by XAVIER TOBY

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Australian movie A Few Best Men

With all the gross out jokes and silliness of the common comedy romp, you’d think making them would be easy. Well, it’s not. It’s actually really difficult. Writing a joke is one of the hardest tasks anyone can undertake. Read more

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Melancholia: a film by Lars von Trier

I wish there were a lot more of the types of films made by Lars von Trier. Each is very different but still distinctly von Trier, and each is superb. Melancholia is the follow up to the wonderfully confronting Antichrist. This is all about the end of the world, and told with an honesty and pacing that is probably much closer to the actual end of the world than all the Hollywood crap would have you believe. Read more

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We Need To Talk About Kevin: based on Lionel Shriver’s novel

A delightful uncomfortable film, told from the point of view of a broken woman. Kevin’s just not right, and that’s obvious from the outset as mother Eva battles to bring him up in a world where the onus is put squarely back on the mother. The intensity is poured on throughout, as tragedy seems imminent. Read more

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Photographer Carl Kleiner is really good at getting a chuckle out of people with his amusing, clever, and ofter suggestive arrangement of objects. His Macho! and Sex series are both winners, and there’s a really direct graphic sense in all his work that makes it succinctly communicative. Read more

As a five year resident of New York, I often wonder about the changing face of the city and how much of the character has been stripped away. This atmospheric series of photos from the How To Be A Retronaut website have me pining for a less sanitised New York, when the old school charms and sensibilities were still intact. Remarkably, over the ‘eight years it took James and Karla Murray to complete this project, one third of the stores they featured have closed’. Sad. Read more

An intelligently told, morally complex tale with a raft of unexpected twists, Gone Baby Gone is one of the most original films of recent times. Most films give you a sense of their narrative arc and it is easy to recognise the major plot points. Read more

Located on West Houston, Alphaville is my favorite gift store in Manhattan. It offers a great selection of vintage objects, from Nixon’s campaign buttons, to Sesame Street 80s mobiles, 50s greeting cards and the original Mr. Potato Head and his friends. It’s one of those places I walk into just to look but always end up buying something.

We’ve been watching random, terrible movies and making themed cocktails to enhance our viewing pleasure. You can check out our growing collection of reviews and cocktail menus here on our secret blog (which is no longer secret).

There’s not much one can say about an artist who has recorded more than 400 albums — even if you manage to listen to a large portion them, there’s a good chance you’ve missed something. Good thing, as far as I know, R. Stevie Moore is the only person who has released that many records (Daniel Johnston may come close), many of which were cassette-only or printed in limited numbers. Virtually unknown for decades, the obsessive music geekdom that has reached a fever pitch as this generation of fans has allowed Moore to keep his relentless flow of Zappa-esque weirdness, power-chord pop, tongue-in-cheek ballads, satirical new wave, and whatever else we’ve most certainly missed, gushing out into the universe.

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No matter what’s going on with your outfit, chances are, if you’ve got good shoes on, you’re okay. Keep Company shoes are only going from strength to strength, bringing out more and shoes apparel that are probably going to ruin my savings account. Read more

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The return of the Brionvega rr226

Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.

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Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi

How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more

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Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork

Michelle Blade’s washed out paintings are deceptively simple, her washy acrylics creating psychedelic textures and conjuring ghostly figures from the past. Read more

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Mika

A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.

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Honest Food Preparation Instructions

Yes, we’ve all been there: the chinese food from last week that still looks edible amongst the bare surrounds of an empty fridge. But really, we shouldn’t. Just let it be. Or College Humor will expose you! Read more

Illustrator, sculptor, and mixed media artist Joseph Franz creates stunning and unexpected pieces centered on personal nostalgia and animals. His work is ever-changing, but the wildlife and reminiscent narrative seem to be ever-present. Read more

If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]


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