If you ever wonder whether life is worth living then don’t ask British film director, Mike Leigh. He’ll tell you that you might as well give up on life and just drift along till you die.

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It amazes me how film and TV critics reveal their lack of knowledge of the medium. They come out in praise of ancient filming techniques as if these were innovations.

Take “The Social Network” as an example of this.

I had to laugh when a film critic by the name of Adam Kamien actually described the use of actor, Armie Hammer, in a dual role of identical twins, the Winklevoss brothers, as “a stroke of genius.” This is hardly new nor is it a stroke of genius. Does anyone remember “The Patty Duke Show” (1963-1966)? It’s a very old and common device in movie production.

Personally, I picked that it was a dual role as soon as I saw the Winklevosses on the screen and no, I had not looked up the cast before going to the movie theatre.

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Had it not been for the ABC’s “At The Movies” high rating for this film, I would not have thought of going to see it. However, when a film about the founder of Facebook receives a high five from a critic like David Stratton, then I am persuaded to give it a go. David had said that he had not expected to like “The Social Network” but was pleasantly surprised. I, on the other hand, expected to like this film because of his review but was very disappointed.

Why? Well, it seemed disjointed and poorly scripted. The main actor who played Mark Zuckerberg, was excellent. But the other actors resembled caricatures, monofaceted and so many of them overacted. It is not easy to make a story of a young man’s rise to fame and fortune tedious, but this film managed to do it.

We should have been fascinated by this “genius” but he seemed like he was just playing in the lost children’s section of Toys R US. Poor little hacker…

I found myself looking at my watch to see how long there is to go. There were some noisy coke (as in cocaine) scenes. The portrayal of young women in the film was abysmal. They all seemed to be rather sluttish, apart from the one who had broken Zuckerberg’s heart and sent him on the road to billions.

It was a rather sad and confusing movie which had much potential in the beginning but which failed to deliver. Having said all this, I realise that other reviews have been favourable and my opinion is not that of the majority.

I would even go so far as to admit that had I been watching “The Social Network” at home on TV I would have switched channels after the first dreary half hour, but you know how it is, I had paid for my movie ticket and by George I was going to get my money’s worth of suffering lol.

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Many of us remember how good looking and affable Tony Curtis was. He was a mega film star in his day and with his passing last week we lost another great from the Golden Years of Hollywood.

No matter how successful Curtis was he never forgot his humble Bronx roots and that was part of his charm.

I did a double take when I read that he was buried with a copy of “Anthony Adverse.” For some reason I got the notion that “Anthony Adverse” had been written by Henry Fielding, the Eighteenth Century novelist responsible for “Joseph Andrews” and “Tom Jones.”

Well, it did sound like the sort of thing that Fielding would have written. It could even have been the work of Samuel Richardson, perhaps. Imagine my surprise that Tony Curtis would have chosen to be buried with a copy of an English Eighteenth Century classic!

I was amazed and very impressed to have learned of this facet of Tony Curtis’s character. I mean, not only was Tony a hunk but he was also an intellectual! I practically swooned. He wasn’t just a pretty face.

I decided to google “Anthony Adverse”……….

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Last night, the Golden Globes awarded a gong to Jason Reitman for the screenplay for “Up in the Air”. This surprised me because I thought that the screenplay was one of the weakest aspects of this film.

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Once again Australian courts have let us down. Nick D’Arcy, who viciously aussalted a fellow swimmer and damaged his face for life has been let off jail. Why? Because he’s a sportsman and in Australia all is forgiven if you are a sportsman. So D’Arcy, who’s no example to young people, is going to be turned into some kind of hero if he wins a race. I suspect it wouldn’t matter if he murdered someone as long as he can swim for Australia.

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I enjoyed “Gran Torino” on a very basic level. I liked its ending.

Even though it’s meant to take place in an urban setting in Michigan, it is essentially a good old-fashioned western. Solitary hero, Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), suffering from tragedies in the past, is fed up with humanity but comes good at the end and saves the day. There are goodies and baddies, and the goodies win, just the way, Eastwood and the rest of us would like it to be. I am calling the hero Eastwood because it’s Classic Eastwood we are watching.

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It is a pity that the film, “Revolutionary Road” was released this year when the world is in a financial crisis almost as severe as “The Great Depression.” Had it come out during the economic boom of a few years ago, then the Wheelers of Revolutionary Road, Connecticut, might have aroused some sympathy in us.

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I’m most amazed that President elect Obama is making his historic journey by train. Not a Connex train that’s for sure or his trip would have been cancelled on account of the weather. (For those of you fortunate enough not to depend on Melbourne’s public transport, Connex is a company in Victoria which is copping much criticism lately because of its unreliable train service.)

Anyhow, back to Obama. I would have thought that he would arrive on water, walking on it, in fact, and then he would turn that water into wine. My point is that too much pressure is being placed on the poor man. He is expected to be the panacea for every ill in the world, apparently, and it’s so unrealistic.

The new President will have so much to take care of. The economy, the troubles in the Middle East, the war in Afghanistan, the health system, the tax system, the education system, the illegals, global warming and carbon whatsits all demand immediate attention.

For crying out loud, give the man a break! He is not Mighty Mouse nor is he the Messiah. He seems to be an affable and talented man who wants to do his best for America. And it’s pleasing to see a man of colour become President. But if one builds him up to be any more than human, not only will the honeymoon be brief but the marriage will be annulled. And that would be a shame.

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I was naively looking forward to watching “Frankie Howerd:Rather You than Me” on cable TV last night. Of course I should have known that if David Walliams of “Little Britain” fame was acting in the title role of the British comedian, that it might be a little strange. And it was.

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