Category: media

The girls of Dance Academy

On By Liz BarrIn media, television

Way back in 2013, one of my earliest posts on No Award was a look at the boys of Dance Academy. (Part 1 – Part 2.) I promised at the time that I would come back and write about the female characters as well … and now it’s 2017, the movie is released next week, I have a ticket to an advance screening tonight, and last night I finished my rewatch.

And let me tell you, quokkas, I have all the feelings. The female regulars of Dance Academy cover a whole lot of arcs and archetypes, from Tara’s need to be a fairy tale heroine, to Abigail’s evolution from ambitious and jealous queen bee to ambitious and highly professional queen. I love every single one of them, even Grace, who I also detest and loathe.

(This post is a lot shorter than the two I did about the boys. That’s not because they’re less interesting, or because I care about them less — I’m just much busier now than I was in 2013. Stupid real life.)

Continue reading “The girls of Dance Academy” →

No Award eats vegan schadenfreude pie

On By Liz BarrIn media, movies, racism, television

What a gift this month is! We have not one but two racist and/or whitewashed media adaptations being released — Iron Fist and Ghost in the Shell — and they’re both getting terrible press.

What a shame. We shall sip our tea and nibble at a dark, bittersweet pie and try not to disturb others with our cackles of laughter.

Continue reading “No Award eats vegan schadenfreude pie” →

No Award goes to the movies: Hidden Figures

On By Liz BarrIn media, movies, racism, science!5 Comments

Hidden Figures tells the story of how African-American women helped put the United States in space. Margot Lee Shetterly’s book was optioned for film before it had even been published, so clearly I’m not the only person who was very excited by this concept. (Things I’m into: the space program; feminist history; the corners of history which are overlooked or obscured.)

 

I loved the book a lot, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie when I saw it on Friday. It was a lovely portrayal of excellence in the face of oppression, of female friendship, and of some of the nuances of racism as expressed by middle class white women. And, of course, SPACE.

But the second I saw a Tumblr review promising it had no white saviours, I knew it would have a white saviour. And I was right.

Continue reading “No Award goes to the movies: Hidden Figures” →

No Award goes to the movies: Doctor Who – The Power of the Daleks

On By Liz BarrIn media, television

 

This Classic Who serial originally aired in 1966. I’m not sure when it hit Australia, but my dad watched it on the ABC as a child, and the Very First Regeneration (Hartnell to Troughton) made enough of an impression on him that he could describe certain scenes to us kids.

But because early television was ephemeral (and the BBC needed to reuse that tape a bunch of times and then burn it), the serial itself was lost. Only the audio track survived.

To celebrate the serial’s 50th anniversary, and to make a quick buck, the BBC has “restored” the video via animation, and the result has been given a limited cinema run.

Continue reading “No Award goes to the movies: Doctor Who – The Power of the Daleks” →

Deep Water

On By Liz BarrIn australia, media, television1 Comment

I promised Stephanie that I’d watch SBS miniseries Deep Water over the weekend, and report back to No Award about (a) whether or not it’s worth watching, and (b) whether it contained any amazing/hilarious auscore.

Unfortunately, my plan hit the most Australian snag ever — my internet was too slow to stream the final two episodes via the SBS app. And I’m on the NBN. I mean, really.

(I was attempting to airplay to my AppleTV from my iPad — I might have had better luck hooking my laptop up to the TV, but I was like, come on, it’s 2016, we’re not animals here! Also, I have to rearrange half my living area to make a stable place for the laptop to sit, and it’s all a lot of effort when the series is just $9.99 on iTunes. Or $7.99 in standard definition, and let’s face it, it’s not like I have the bandwidth for HD or a TV that will do it justice.)

The fact that I’m going to pay money to finish the series probably answers question (a) — I was enjoying it, and found it a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday evening (but not enough to move my laptop). But Stephanie was probably expecting a proper post, and I guess that’s fair, so…

Continue reading “Deep Water” →