If you were alive in the 50s you remember where you were when Betty Cuthbert won the 100/200 sprint double at the Melbourne Olympics. Similarly for the 60s when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and the 70s when Mohammed Ali beat George Foreman in Zaire to reclaim his world heavyweight boxing crown. In the 80’s ??? – maybe you don’t remember anything let alone where you were but if you lived through the 90s you would remember the exact time and place you were when you saw the first episode of Twin Peaks. It changed the relationship between cinema and TV forever, but more importantly it would change your perspective on “normality” and change the way you view the motivation of others and the imbalance in how society values achievement over mythology.
Continue readingCategory Archives: TV
The 2019 lists by Vin Maskell

Reading
Death Of A Typographer by Nick Gadd
You like fonts? You like murder mysteries? You like 1970s Dutch prog rock? You’ll love Melbourne writer Nick Gadd’s second novel. ‘Clever, witty and very stylish,’ said The Age. Lots of fun. Continue reading
Some observations on 2019 by Nick Gye

When Scott Walker (above) died just over a year after Mark E Smith it seemed as though the stitches that held the universe together in some short of shape had started to fray. I have written about both of them on this website as it happens.
Best 2018 by David Whish-Wilson

• David Whish-Wilson has written lots of books. His latest was The Coves and fans will be pleased to know Frank Swann will be back next year via Fremantle Press. Please note he didn’t write one of the books in this photo, it’s just the next on the australianrules.com.au bookshelf. Continue reading
The best of 2018 by Nick Gye
Best of 2017 by Matt Quartermaine
Awake 2017. The best of… by David Bridie
These are the only best ofs worth considering. I didn’t put in my best ofs for 2016 because I slept pretty much the whole year… I have awoken now… however some of these may be from last year as well… I put in the filter to this that I spend my whole life in recording studios, playing gigs, and doing a plethora of Wantok Musik organisation so music and film are not my “go to” relaxation activities…. Continue reading
2017 in review by Nick Gye
What was the theme, if any, of 2017. Terrorist attacks? Donald Trump tweeting? Tony Abbott being desperate? And then towards the end it clicked, welcome to the year of the Moral Panic. Continue reading
The best of 2017 by David Whish-Wilson
1. The Deuce. So often the things I look forward to most are overwhelmed by my expectations and don’t meet those expectations. With HBO’s The Deuce, it didn’t happen like that. The Deuce was better than I could have hoped for. With writers like George Pelecanos, David Simon and Megan Abbott involved, this look at the birth of an industry and a neighbourhood is perfectly slow moving, patiently creating layers of detail and character, and I can’t wait for the next season. Continue reading
Best of 2016 in no apparent order by Sean Gorman
Books
Old Scores by David Whish Wilson. Continue reading




