Naomi Klein - Doppelganger

Much illumination about the present day and how we got here. I was struck by her explanation of the convergence of the 'wellness' influencer movement with far right authoritarianism ('diagonalism') through the lens of - among other things - a shared focus on the individual rather than collective or structural responsibilities or efficacy, as well as an associated willingness to treat others' lives as lesser and therefore expendable. 

The concept of the doppelganger at a societal level proves to have pretty good explanatory force, even if it sometimes felt like it was being stretched beyond its natural meaning to do so. I tend to find explanations of collective behaviour that are based on conscious or unconscious repudiation of intolerable knowledge - such as the projection of violent stereotypes on to Indigenous people and people of colour as a response to the awareness of the violence upon which colonial and white society continues to be founded - but Klein's argument for its operation is as compelling as any I've read.

Wish

The animation is pretty nice (a mix of hand drawn and CGI), I've developed an attachment to the main songs, and the story is functional enough.

(w/ L)

Crazy, Stupid, Love

I liked the way it focused most on the middle-aged married couple, and its niceness. Also Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in a La La Land preview.

NGV Triennial

From 1 1/2 floors of the Triennial a couple of weeks back. I guess I'd need to see the whole thing to comment informedly but the bits I did see, while frequently enjoyable, struck me as skewed towards the accessible more than the challenging. 

Fernando Laposse - Conflict avocados project (2023) - including a room-spanning tapestry, 40-minute documentary film, and other artifacts, about the way avocado farming in Mexico - where half of the world's avocados are produced - has caused environmental, cultural and other destruction, and the story of Cheran, an Indigenous community that revolted and is now self-governing

Megacities - Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Lagos, Sao Paulo, Cairo, Dhaka, Mexico City, Seoul, Jakarta, each photographed by one resident; projected by city and theme on multiple screens

Six fine Tracey Emin gouaches (2014)

Jeff Wall - "Untangling" (2006), which I've seen more than once before but which landed with renewed forced on this viewing (the lightbox glowed, far more brightly than above)

Malerie Marder - "Untitled" (2001) and Anne Zahalka - "Sunday, 2:09pm" (1995) - part of a tremendous quartet along one wall, along with one each from Gregory Crewdson and Alex Prager, under the theme of 'Narrative' (which also included the Jeff Wall one)

Derek Henderson - "Kohaihai Road, North Beach, West Coast. 10-30am, 9th February 2004" (2004)

Angie McMahon - Light, Dark, Light Again

Unusual nowadays to find a song that calls on me to replay it over and over, and Light, Dark, Light Again has two in a row - "Fish", with its austere chime and invocation of Pornography-era Cure alongside 90s indie sulk, and the most addictive song I've heard in ages, and then "Letting Go", which is as "Thunder Road" as they come in this mode. The whole album has a vibe; it's good. I can't help triangulating - a little bit Sharon Van Etten, a little bit Courtney Barnett, a little bit Lucy Dacus. Plus McMahon's Australian.

"2023 EOY Mix"

From David. Plenty listenable; best new discovery for me is Wolf Alice ("Lipstick on the Glass").

Migration

Good hearted enough I guess, but also mediocre.

(w/ L and H)

Slow Horses seasons 1-3

The spy stuff is good, the humour an essential addition, and Gary Oldman is the main event.

2023: "Not strong enough"

2023 soundtrack - on spotify. Not a banner year for music for me, but plenty of catchy songs and records in my existing lane, often by acts already very familiar.

1. It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody - Weyes Blood
And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop, 2022)

2. County Road - Margo Price
Strays (Loma Vista, 2023)

3. Not Strong Enough - boygenius
the record (Interscope, 2023)

4. 80's Movie - Morgan Wade
Psychopath (RCA Nashville, 2023)

5. Rustin' in the Rain - Tyler Childers
Rustin' in the Rain (Hickman Holler, 2023)

6. King of Oklahoma - Jason Isbell
Weathervanes (Southeastern, 2023)

7. Brand New Eyes - Laura Cantrell
Just Like A Rose: The Anniversary Sessions (Propeller Sound, 2023)

8. French Restaurant - Lydia Loveless
Nothing's Gonna Stand In My Way Again (Bloodshot, 2023)

9. get him back! - Olivia Rodrigo
GUTS (Geffen, 2023)

10. White Horse - Chris Stapleton
Higher (Mercury Nashville, 2023)

James Han Mattson - Reprieve

Neat enough in how it lays out the layers of racial, cultural, capitalist, patriarchal and other forms of exploitation that comprise the real horror of the plot, but a bit overly programmatic for me. I would've liked it more if it were wilder and perhaps leaned more into its genre trappings.

Rebecca Solnit - Men Explain Things To Me

Rebecca Solnit is remarkable for many things - the clarity of her writing, her facility with the memorable meaningful image, the intellectual and ethical sophistication of her thought, the way she brings those all together. And all that's on display in this set of essays on the theme of feminism, patriarchy and female experience, where she's consistently light and somehow humble despite the weight of what she's saying and the force with which she says it.

Get Smart

Silly but charming enough.

Don't Worry Darling

Overly familiar premise maybe but done with a bit of style and some nice layers to Florence Pugh's performance.

Now You See Me

A lightweight entertainment that I've seen before.

boygenius - the rest

The ep that follows the record. For an outfit made up of three established artists each with their own distinctive voice, boygenius are impressively identifiable in sound.

Chris Stapleton - Higher

I wonder whether it's easy for Stapleton to write songs like these. They have an easy, classic feel to them that sometimes slips into being overly generic but just as often lands - as on songs like "What Am I Gonna Do", "The Fire" and "White Horse".

(Traveller)

"Connection" (THE LUME Melbourne)

A moving experience - art by First Nations artists projected onto the large gallery walls and floors (some static, others animated presumably for this exhibition), soundtracked by the same and themed as 'land Country', 'water Country' and 'sky Country'. Big names and emerging artists alike. 

I wrote down the names of Charmaine Pwerle, Jeannie Mill Pwerle and (in very different vein) Lin Onus, but could just as easily have written many more.

More quietly, in the small side rooms, other lovely discoveries - especially the 'infinity room' installation of a series of Emily Kame Kngwarreye panels.

(w/ 54r)

Ocean's 8

Pleasant diversion. What I said last time.

Mr & Mrs Smith

Kind of a silly movie, but not offensively so, and feels like it knows it.

Mary Gentle - Ash: A Secret History

This is one of the very few genre novels - among not many novels full stop - that actually blew my mind a bit when I first read it, however many years ago (pre-extemporanea, so probably about 20 or so years back), specifically its ending. The canny melding of 15th century historical/military/fantasy thrills with its contemporary framing device and how they interact was just something else, especially having picked it up without an inkling of where it was going. Re-read today, it's still an impressive and immersive experience, though the thin-ness of the characterisation is an issue - except, to some degree, the three central (female) characters from the main narrative.