Is it cool if I say I am a Kiwi whilst travelling?

Australians have become some fucking embarrassing whilst OS, whether it be Anzac Day style behaviour of drinking yourself into oblivion and abusing anyone in sight or just being a loud mouth wanker.

Australians also forgot that other countries have traditions and values other than just drinking 10 beers over breakfast. It doesn't help when we have the worlds most uninspiring leaders in our country. From Tony ahhh, mmmm, hmmm, Nope Nope Nope Abbott to Bill not just Shorten on words and action but just plain boring. Is it too much to ask for an inspiring leader who can speak to masses of people and address all walks of life? Maybe without offending large numbers of people like Joe Hockey does every time he speaks about a serious issue?

So on a recent trip to Singapore I encountered a work junket for a motoring company (yep they were bogans) and their partners. Fucking hell for the most part of the group it was concerning most of them seemed to be no strangers to the buffet both at breakfast and 24/7 by the looks of them. Swearing, being sleazy to female wait staff and just gross was all part in parcel of their breakfast performance whilst describing the night before and their alcohol consumption. And if you are wondering they were not teenagers they were all 40+.

Back in my teens I just to say fucking hell last night I smashed 6 VB's, a bottle of white wine and a couple of midori and lemonades. However this was 12 years ago, it's 2015 and most of these AHG workers (whoops did I just publish the company) were at least 40 (in the shade).

I hate being Australian with our poor record on immigration, human rights (basic human rights), lame stance on marriage equality, climate change action and our unnatural obsession this year with Anzac Day.

So from now on (like a lot of Americans say they are Canadians) I am now Kiwi. Despite the fact they also have a right wing conservative PM they are less vile on tour than us Aussie's, if I see another Bintang singlet (cotton under pressure most times) and hear an Aussie accent next time on holidays, I am going to break into the Haka.

ALL Australian Drama Ending in 2 Weeks, sad face :(

Wentworth just aired another fucking cracking episode, Love Child is up to episode 6 (this week, 7 next) of 8 and Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries also clocks in at episode 6 of 8 this Friday.

It's so sad to farewell three great Aussie drama's, all lead by very diverse and equally strong (at times Camp in Miss Fishers case) women.

It's amazing and well done to the three networks airing these shows in a time of reality TV and poor programming. What is interesting to see and listen to is how passionate (I am one of these people) folk are about these shows. The Wentworth Facebook page always has strong reactions to issues brought up in the latest episode, work friends of mine all watch Love Child and Miss Fisher, making me think drama still does have a place on Australian TV and still has those water cooler moments.

Remember Lisa McCune on Blue Heelers and a Country Patrice, those shows all had massive water cooler moments pre reality nonsense and Caitlin Jenner photo shoots.

I am happy to say two out of three of these shows will return next year and I am sure the ABC will give Miss Fisher at least another short season. They just renewed Doctor Blake so surely she is in with a shot?

Good on you Aussie Drama, after these next two weeks our screens just won't be the same, sad face :(

#I'mNotDavidNorMargaret, Film Reviews My Way 2015

After seeing the abomination known only as Aloha (it nearly turned me completely off Hawaii it was that fucked up) it was time to hopefully see a better film. Well the film had something in common with Aloha, it is also a massive box office flop in America and also been reviewed harshly.



The difference with Entourage is, this (like Sex & the City) was a successful series on one of the most powerful networks in the world, HBO, whereas Cameron Crowe hasn't had a successful film since the 90's.

Now I never watched all 96 episodes of this film, but I get the idea, loved the cameos and loved the soundtrack (including Australia's own Tame Impala), whereas I hated everything about Aloha.

So Entourage is already a massive improvement on my film going experiences for 2015. It wasn't a great film but their were some good one liners and they had a fab editor as this film did not over stay it's welcome like a lot of recent films have.

I would recommend this to fans of the show and fans of the wonderful HBO network. I recently travelled and watched all 8 of 30 minute episodes of Togetherness, a show I completely overlooked but loved (check it out below) so one has to applaud this network:


I am a huge enemy of average and most things HBO puts it's name and mind too are far from average, so I am going to overlook some of the flaws in this film and give it a solid 3 stars small screen to big screen crossover effort.

Keep up the good work HBO, 7, 9 & 10 in Australia are sure giving us enough average content that we need some innovators in the TV world.

#I'mNotDavidNorMargaret, Film Reviews My Way 2015

ALOHA, let's take a look at the trailer and enjoy the sounds of the Cold War Kids...



In the last half hour I was reminded by a friend of me groaning and saying, "When Will this End". Aloha is easily (and I have seen 50 Shades of Grey) the WORST film of 2015. Why would people at Columbia Pictures watch a finished version of this film and think, hey there is going to be someone out there who will enjoy this? Who thought a great cast like this could appear in such a misguided, pathetic and at times truly unwatchable.

Aloha is truly bottom of the barrel romantic, chick flick bull shit. Chicks are smarter than casting Emma Stone as a woman meant to be one quarter Chinese, What?

I haven't done this in a while.... NO STARS. I am writing no more I want to erase this from my memory, truly forgettable.

Singapore in around 24 hours and Long Weekends

Oh thank god for the June Long Weekend, may all the Queens unite and party till the end of time. Or just stay at home and watch Sense8 on Netflix.

I on the other hand are taking off to a warmer place to defrost, I will be back in Singapore for a quick visit before a mega movie marathon next week. Speaking of movies I will be taking in ALOHA tonight, so I hope to have a review published right here tomorrow AM.

So posts might be few and far between for the next little bit but Flashing off the Record has plenty of Major Lazer to offer this week and on Monday the hottest songs of Autumn will appear, 20-1 it was a great three months of music.

And whilst I am getting busy with Major Lazer on the music blog here is a new Aussie song to get you set for the long weekend.

Why the real debate around Marriage should include...

The airing of Married at First Sight primetime (twice - including a Tuesday encore) is a complete slap in the face of any same sex couple interested in the whole marriage equality debate. For me I am rather bored by the whole discussion which is going nowhere fast.

Channel Nine received a lot of flak for this trashy reality show from Denmark. With around 13K Facebook likes and a few interesting posts that people trashing the show have had their comments removed. Heaven forbid people lay shit on this cheaply produced BS.

But when looking at the marriage debate and heaven forbid we offend the church (you should all look at yourselves and the Royal Commissions findings) you can't take Marriage seriously anymore. Between the Bachelor, the Bachelorette and now this, is Marriage just another reality test? Farmer Wants a Wife and Beauty and the Geek also just make fun of relationships and what it means to be in love.

So thanks again reality TV and your average approach to all things in society, food, reno's and music you have again served up another reason why this genre needs to die and die soon. Charlie Pickering on the Weekly summed this up oh so well below:



Onto a less serious current affairs and news program and in line with annoying religions, this made me mad:



Why the fuck aren't religions like the almighty Hillsong paying tax? For gods sake Empire there latest album has risen to the number one spot on the ARIA albums chart.

SCAM!

So rant over for the day and Friday I am off again, this time to Singapore so look out for the June Long Weekend and stay warm, winter is totes shit already...

NBC chucks a Netflix moment,does it pay off?

With Sense8 launching on Netflix Sat 6 June (Aussie time, Fri 5 June if in the US of A), perfect timing for the June long weekend. Cool way to binge another weekend away.

So NBC got in early via all their portals when launching the new David Duchovny series based on a couple of cops looking for missing persons and then surprise they stumble upon non other than Charles Manson.

Look I am two episodes in (In Australia Presto I believe is streaming the entire 13 episodes) and I am enjoying the 60's music and references to the Vietnam war and the division this caused. David Duchovny is great and not being sex crazed like in Californication is a nice change too. However that really was his best body of work.

Will more Networks follow the Netflix model? ABC in Australia tried this with a Chris Lilley series at the peak of his overexposure. Did it work? Well the show was poorly reviewed and saw a large ratings downfall from previous outings.

ABC (USA) is also trying it's bag at shorter series (Secrets & Lies (US remake of the Australian Channel 10 series) had a ten episode short run whilst American Crime was the short of their ten episode anthology series) both have since paid off gaining renewals and critical acclaim.

Will drama television now be lead by Netflix with others following and creating fewer ideas? Well their are loads more ideas in the US right now in comparison to Australia and the exciting news House Rules has been sold abroad, why? I ask.

Aquarius, could be perfect bing watching over the June Long Weekend whilst waiting for Sense8 to buffer but I am not sure of it's future with it being based on a true story with an end game in sight.

To wet your whistle see the trailer below, happy Monday, FML is it Monday again!