634-648 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 7464
http://www.planetvideo.com.au/library/books/
Hours:
Mon-Sun 10:00 - 23:00
There is something about Planet Books, Mary. There always has been since they opened six years ago. There is much than hype here, otherwise the allure would have vanished long ago.
Planet books is always crowded with a bunch of eclectic quiet people reading their books, looking at their books, seating on the couch perusing their books, browsing their stationary, and, occasionally, buying something. It is the relaxed atmosphere, their open but cosy space, the small popular children corner, the freedom to do whatever you like without anybody pestering your derrière, and the fact that you can find a mix of mainstream and independent titles, and an interesting mix of shelves devoted to the Arts what makes of the place so popular. Moreover, you enter a planet and have the whole Universe at your feet, with Planet Video, Planet Music and Daily Planet all interconnected.
The prices of their fiction and mainstream non-fiction books are average. Last week I purchased the latest Murakami's, and it is only three dollars more expensive than in The Book Depository - a good price! Their graphic design and illustration area is very expensive, but most people approaching those shelves, me among them, stay there perusing... They used to have all the editions of the Exposé Magazine and a great selection of illustrators, but this is no longer the case, and the selection of illustrators is not as good as used to be, but is still decent. Their painting and Arts shelves are a bit mainstream for my taste, still good.
They have a cute selection of posh stationary, sweet drops in cheeky boxes, and the funniest postcards in the city, so irreverent and politically incorrect that I always find myself laughing out loud at them.
The promotion of local artists and writers has been one of their focus since Planet Books opened its doors. This is, precisely, the place where Shaun Tan has launched and signed his books before he was known outside Perth not to say an Oscar Winner. Other local artists also launch and have launched their work here. Join their mailing list through their website and you will get the invitation, or check their Fasebookie: http://www.facebook.com/atPlanetBooks
The service is minimal, as this is part of the appeal to the visitors, many of us just book voyeurs or people who know what they are looking for. One of the owners used to be behind the counter at the beginning, and he was terrific to talk to. The current staff are courteous but a bit nosey-posey at times.
Perth Cultural Centre
47 James St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9492 6766
http://www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/
Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 10:00 - 17:00
The Art Gallery shop has some fantastic things that you want to have because they would be perfect in your ideal life, in your ideal posh house, and on your present gorgeous self.
The shop offers a great and innovative selection of Western Australian and International designers items. You can find an unique selection of Western Australian fashion jewels and clothing, a good selection of art books, art catalogues from current or past exhibitions, cards, decoration and house-ware, some seasonal calendars, fine-prints, and fabulous glass items.
Although most items are pricey or expensive, the shop has good discounts and sales during the year, so take advantage of those to get your precious treasured item. If you buy something expensive at least you know that it is trendy, artistic, unique and original. In other places you could be paying the same for posh items that are mass produced or not original at all. Their prints are quite economic, and their cards average-priced, so they will give you the excuse to buy something or to browse the rest of the shop at ease.
The staff are easy-going, and won't bother you if they see you just browsing around. They are quite attentive and friendly if you decide to ask them for help or buy something.
You are free to browse around but, please, don't touch! Ouch!
V. O. S. is a sui-generis romantic comedy directed by Spanish film maker Cesc Gay and based on the eponymous stage play. The movie is bilingual, spoken both in Spanish and Catalan, with a few sentences in Basque, and has a broken narrative with mirror-like happenings. It is a movie within a movie that shows the filming of the relationship and love story of two couples, who are the actors in the movie; they are playing both their own past personal story, the writing of the same, and its filming. Entangling!
Ágata Roca plays Clara, a single independent woman who says that she wants independence and an independent relationship but thrives for a traditional love story. Paul Berrondo plays Manu, Clara's best friend and father of her first child to be, who is sure about their relationship. Andrés Herrera is Anders, Manu's best friend, a freelance movie-writer and University teacher in a traditional relationship but unwilling to commit. Vicenta N'Dongo is Vicky, Anders' down-to-earth committed and serious girlfriend, who tries to step forward in their relationship. All of them play their respective roles with great freshness and empathy with their characters. The participation of the filming crew as themselves adds lots of charm to the movie, as they are incorporated into the story and not presented as mere workers.
The movie is very enjoyable, engaging and fresh, but also confusing. The main downs of the movie are three. The first is that the story is too theatrical, the weight of the studio around being overly present, and one feels the need for more outdoors scenes and some interaction with other people and characters, like their families, friends, or co-workers. The second, and most important, is that the fringes between the three story-within-the-story moments are not clearly defined since the beginning, and it takes a bit too long for the viewer to realize which part is which. Until you get the Aha moment the movie feels absurd and pretentious. It can easily discourage mainstream viewers. Finally, the drawing of the characters is a bit stereotypical. On one hand, it really highlights many of the problems that settled couples find in their mid 30s and the contradictions of human relationships, but on another you wonder that, if the characters are not actors why are they filming a movie? There is lack of internal logic in the film or that logic is not well-presented to the viewer.
Despite everything, I found the movie very enjoyable and intriguing, a mix between a Hollywood love story and one of Charlie Kauffman's approaches to film-making and film-writing. Original, fresh and entertaining, but also confusing.
Tangled is a free adaptation of the traditional fairy-tale of Rapunzel. A fairy-tale romance and adventure movie, but also a coming of age story in which Rapunzel leaves the too-oppressive maternal womb to discover the world and herself. Follow your dream and leave your child discover the world for herself are the two main messages of the film.
The animation is terrific, very beautiful and colourful, but more eye-catching than artistic I would say. However, the scene of the flying lanterns is just magical, extremely beautiful and inspiring, as well as the drawing of some of the forest backgrounds. The main human characters are great, very witty and lovable/hate-able. I found horse Maximus truly hilarious, and the chameleon very sweet, wise and naughty. I loved the fact that the animals don't talk, still they have their own personality and communicate with their owners in their own way.
The cast really shines in this movie, and I loved the fact that they were not the usual superstar actors doing the dubbing. Mandy Moore is great as the very sweet, forward and naive Rapunzel. Zachary Levi is cheeky and sweet in his impersonation of the rascal outlaw Flynn Rider. However, the Oscar goes to Donna Murphy, who is brilliant in her role of villain, and she is immediately hate-able as Mother Gothel; she is the epitome of a witch, and one of the best witches ever created by Disney.
Alan Menken's score and Glenn Slater's lyric have to be praised, as they really give the movie its soul and mood. Unforgettable is the song "I have a dream", sung by a bunch of ugly looking outlaws, which has great lyrics and melody. This is one of the loveliest scenes in the film, too. Also brilliant is Gothel's song Mother knows Best, that sums up very well her selfish approach to motherhood. The singing by Moore, Levi and Murphy is great.
I found some important flaws and miss-messages in the film, that are clearly noticeable, even for a child, and that were unnecessary. The first one is the physical appearance of Rapunzel's queen mother. She looks much younger than her husband, almost his daughter, and also looks like Rapunzel's older sister, not her mother. It reflects and shameless portrays the obsession for youth of modern society regarding women. An old man does not have any problem in showing his age, his wrinkles and white hair, actually that makes it more respectable. On the contrary, an old woman has to look young, unwrinkled and have her hair coloured to be likeable as an old woman. That was very disappointing.
The second flaw in the story is the fact that, despite Rapunzel living alone, isolated, incarcerated, never putting her feet out of her tower until rescued by Flynn, she's not only able to swim but also to dive! Are we all fools?!
The third flaw is the marriage thing. The princess is rescued by the prince; she has just turned 18y.o.a, the only human she knows is her fake witchy-bitchy mother, and she is so civilised and she is getting married at 18! I wondered why the script changed many of the quintessential elements of Rapunzel's primitive story and did not dare to do the same with this part. They could have simply omitted Rapunzel's age, or draw her in a more womanly way (she looks like a 13 year old in the movie not a 18y.o.!) and nothing else would have mattered, as the final marriage would have made sense.
Despite the flaws, Tangled is a very entertaining, fun and sweet movie for the whole family, full of action, adventure and sense of humour.
Level 1, 140 Hay St
access via Murray St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9461 3500
perth.library@cityofperth.wa.gov.au
http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/web/Living/City-of-Perth-Library/
Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:00 - 18:00
Sat 9:00 - 12:00
Did you know that there is a library in the heart of the city? No, no no. It is not the State Library. This is a small-not-so-small borrowing library with thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, talking books, foreign-languages learning material, and local history material (books and oral history material) in English and several other languages.
I have been using this library for years and I know they have a good collection of English literature (fiction and non fiction), a nice small selection of books in other languages, a decent collection of films on DVD, which is bigger than it looks as most of them are in other borrowers' hands, a small collection of music CDs and CD-ROM, and a decent collection of talking books. They also have large-print books, which are perfect for people with poor sight or impaired vision.
The cool thing is that you can borrow up to 8 items at a time with a 3-week return period. You can renew the loan for another 3 weeks if nobody else asks for the item/s you have; this can be a problem with new released DVDs, CDs and books. Through their online catalogue, you can reserve borrowed books, renew your loan, request interlibrary loans, suggest new purchases, and check out newly-arrived material. Visit: http://203.27.5.65/amlibweb/ and use you library card for in-depth use. The catalogue web is ugly-looking and not very modern, but still functional and very useful.
If you don't like borrowing or free stuff (a fact that would turn you into a weirdo, sorry!), you can go there to read the newspaper or your favourite book, listen to recorded material, use their free metered Internet, take your kids to their many children activities they organise, or take your grandparents to read the newspaper, learn computer skills or play Mahjong. They offer free individual tutoring lessons, for 45 minutes, for seniors to use the Internet on Thursdays (10am, 11am, 12.30pm and 1.15pm; to book your spot ring 9461 3503, or go to the information desk. Another added bonus is that, if you are are elderly, or are temporary or permanently disabled, or know anybody who is, they still can borrow books, as the Library offers regular Housebound Delivery Services, free of charge, to residents of the city of Perth; to organise things ring Karen at 9461 3500.
Most of the staff are efficient and very friendly, some of them quite passionate about their work, which always translates into the way they treat customers. There is also the usual rude staff person who diminishes the value of the library, but that happens everywhere. They need to implement and be firmer on their prohibition on mobiles, and get a better and comfier seating area.
The new temporary location is a great improvement with regards to the old one in the Commerce Chambers' underground. The current location of the library, although temporary, will be valid for a couple of years, at least until 2014, when the new purpose-built building is expected to be finished on their former location. Hopefully, the final location will be the modern library that old customers have always been dreaming of
To access the library at its current location, head to the escalator placed between the Coffee Club cafeteria and Forever New shop, and follow the corridor. The Library is located at the end of the same.
Run to the City of Perth Library, and get your home entertainment without getting into any dangerous money liaison. Whohoo!
Astor Arcade shop 3
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9271 8338
http://www.waremtlawley.com.au
Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:30
Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Sun 11:00 - 16:00
Ware has been one of my favourite shops for gifts and fancy shopping for years, as it has a great selection of quirky, funky, cute and vintage-inspired items: gift-cards, cards, wrapping papers, children toys, play-games, decoration items, kitchenware, "writtingware", plus a small selection of women and children apparel, jewellery and other fashion items, handbags, and so on. So many cute things talking to you directly, with a cheerful buy me, buy me, buy me! It is very easy not to ignore the call and stop yourself from buying a little something.
Ware, though, it is not what used to be. They have less artsy innovative pieces they used to. In fact, Ware used to be the "it" shop to find items that nobody else had, with an awesome range of high-design and world-class illustrators items. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and, at present, their items are more mainstream than ever, and not exclusive at all. To be completely fair, their bag selection has always been ugly and unstylish, and somewhat diminishes the rest of the shop, which is quite quirky and fun.
The staff are always very helpful, friendly and easy-going, and they will let you browse around without being disturbed.
The prices vary from the cheap little thing to the expensive item, pricey in general, so you better restrain yourself, and limit your visits for personal or seasonal gifts, or just to buy gift cards, if you can!
Photo courtesy of Greg O'Beirne, Via Wikipedia
Wild an tame at once, gracious in its movement, and harmonious in its meandering course, the Swan River looks and feels more like a lake. This lake-like soul is what gives the Swan its specific idiosyncrasy, and also that special something that differentiates Perth from other cities with rivers.
The Swan is a warm hug holding together areas and people that are alien to each other, the walking friend that says hello to joggers and walkers at sunrise or sunset, the backyard of the many million-dollar houses nested on its shores, the view for contemplative picnickers looking for serenity and hidden places in the heart of the city, the free theatre from where Perthites look at the sky in special days, a friend to the highway, an initiation road for drinkers going to the brewery and students going to the University, and a relaxing cradle for tourists taking a ferry to Fremantle. Most importantly, the Swan is the mirror on which Perth looks at herself day and night when she wants to look prettier than she is - Mirror mirror on the Swan.
The Swan is also a paradise for blue algae, mutant fish, and dead creatures, who dream of those days in which the algae were green and living elsewhere, the only mutants around were the newly-arrived settlers, and the only dead the rocks on their shores. Days of large horizons and wide spaces bygone.
A lyric river, with a heart full of regrets, that mesmerises despite its toxicity.
