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March 29, 2024

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Blue skies for Bluesfest day 1

If yesterday at Bluesfest was anything to go by, it's going to be an incredible event and with the weather holding, (so far) the Easter weekend's future is looking bright.

Other News

Carrying and passing the torch

With eight USA Blues Music Award nominations, career tour dates in 20 countries, and her recent induction into the Blues Victoria Hall of Fame, Fiona Boyes is a relentless and curious musical explorer.

Splendour 2024 cancelled

It's official, Splendour in the Grass 2024 has been cancelled.

We just love him!

If you’re over 50 you might not be a fan of Tom Jones, but you can bet your mum is. If you’re under 40 you might not even know who he is, but your grandmother probably wet her pants at the mere mention of his name.

Richmond MP again called on for immediate Gaza ceasefire 

On Saturday, March 16 Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine unfurled a 20m scroll with the names of murdered children and host a ‘die-in’ action at the office of the federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot (Labor).

Queer family visibility

Did you know that, statistically, if you’ve met a redhead, you’ve also met a trans person? Over 800 trans and gender diverse people live in the Byron Shire, which includes at least 200 children. They’re often a bit hidden though, so come on down and celebrate with them this Trans Day of Visibility!

Murwillumbah’s Rebecca Whan recognised for tireless work post 2022 floods

Murwillumbah was severely impacted by the 2022 floods and it was a huge community effort to support, rescue and inspire everyone to move forward. 

Contrary to my initial misgivings, I was completely won over by both Cars and Cars 2 – in fact, I thought they were outstanding examples of the new feature-cartoon.

Disney has here applied the same principle, ie, of giving life to mechanical objects, but the resulting Planes never gets far off the ground (ouch).

Admittedly, as much as anything else, cinemas are little more than child-minding centres during school holidays, as well as (for those who aren’t comforted by PM Berlustony’s banning of climate change) a cool haven away from midday’s melanoma furnace, so it’s been an easy return for the producers (already the $50 million outlay has been nearly doubled).

As in Cars, there is a race involved, with Dusty (Dane Cook) our hero, a cropduster from Nebraska harbouring the crazy ambition of competing with the flasher and faster pros in the annual Wings Around the World event.

The standard setup is good – there is nothing wrong with children being exposed to the principle that self-belief and determination, despite setbacks and detractors, will always be rewarded – but the ensuing rollercoaster adventure is formulaic in the extreme.

The obvious caveat to that criticism, however, is that the film’s target audience doesn’t know what formulaic means and is only beginning to absorb the building blocks of storytelling.

I didn’t see it in 3D, but it is visually beautiful, no surprise there, and mums and dads won’t find any difficulty in sitting through the ninety-odd minutes, but it never quite presses the emotional buttons that Cars did – Dusty is likeable, but he’s not loveable in the way that Owen Wilson’s Lightning McQueen was.

There are some big names doing the voicings – Stacy Keach, Jessica Marais, Brad Garrett and John Cleese among others – but the quality of their input can’t compensate for the fact that the original premise is too unbelievable.

How the Cars movies pulled it off, how they kidded us into embracing that vital suspension of disbelief, remains a mystery, but this offshoot misses the mark.

~ John Campbell

 


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Retired local professor launches book on grief

A leading international thinker and researcher in the development of innovative sport coaching and physical education teaching has returned home to Byron Bay and is launching his first non-academic book, 'Grief and Growth', on April 4 at The Book Room in Byron. 

Resilient Lismore’s ‘Repair to Return’ funding

On the eve of the second anniversary of the second devastating flood in 2022, Resilient Lismore has welcomed the finalisation of its funding deed with the NSW Reconstruction Authority, which will enable the continuation of its ‘Repair to Return’ program.

Editorial – Joyous propaganda! 

The NSW Labor government marked its one year in office this week with a jubilant statement of achievements issued from Macquarie Street HQ.

Man charged over domestic violence and pursuit offences – Tweed Heads

A man has been charged following a pursuit near Tweed Heads on Monday.