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Randy's Film Commentary and Reviews
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Disney's The Jungle Book
Disney's The Jungle Book. First off it is safe to say this movie is less about Disney's Jungle Book the animated version (1967) as much as it pays more attention to Rudyard Kiplings book.
The new version is live action with amazing CGI that brings you right in to the Jungle world of man-cub Mowgli, played well by new comer, Neel Sethi. The film has a PG rating and some scenes might be a bit too realistic for the very young. The casting is superb, Ben Kingsly as Bagheera the panther who found Mowgli as an infant and gave him to the wolves to raise as their own, Lupito Nyong'o plays the Raksha Mowgli's wolf mother, Idris Elba as Shere Khan the tiger who wants Mowgli dead, Scarlette Johansson as the snake Kaa, Christopher Walken as King Louis the King of the apes, and the wonderful Bill Murray as Baloo the bear.
The only resemblance to the animated version is three songs lifted from that film:
1: Bill Murray as Baloo in an effort to befreind Mowgli after enlisting him into retreaving honey for him from live bees nests, sings the song Bear Neccesities with Mowgli. Rather than a disconnected musical number, Murray plays it as way to understand Baloo's character and give dimension to his relationship with Mowgli. Not only is it pure Murray but it is a joy to watch, like a peacful float down a river.
2. When we first meet Christopher Walken as King Louis sitting on a throne in an ancient jungle temple, he comes across as The Godfather with a hidden agenda. He sings I Want To Be Like You so incidiously ,telling of his plot to get the red flower (FIRE), from the man-cub so he can take power and control the jungle, you can only think what a perfect choice he was to play the part. He sings it in a way that let's you see inside him and understand just how power hungry and crazy he is. Not unlike any dictator he uses his underlings to capture the man-cub so they can negotiate face to face.
3. Lastly stay for the end credits, because there is a lot going on, a reprise of I want To Be Like You and the third song, Trust In Me sung by Kaa.
The film is a winner all around and incidently it is also Gary Shandlings last film he plays a minor character Ikki the Porcupine. (Very well too I might add.)
I saw it in 3D and the world you are drawn into like Avatar before it is complete and all consuming. Go and enjoy.
Tags: ben kingsley, Bill Murray, cinema, Cinema Review, commentary, Disney, entertainment, film, Movies, reviews, Scarlette Johansson, The Jungle Book
Categories Adventure, Animation, Disney, drama, Movie Reviews
Captain America the Winter Soldier
Synopsis: Captain America, Steve Rodgers, returns to fight a new world order, in a modern world. When a S.H.E.I.L.D. colleague is attacked, Rodgers joins forces with Natasha, The Black Widow and Sam Wilson, The Falcon, as H.Y.D.R.A., once again tries to dominate the planet.
Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
Review: In the much anticipated return of Captain America, MARVEL has made one of the best movies so far, in their superhero war chest. The movie is non-stop action from beginning to end, the story is a tightly scripted action thriller, and there are enough laughs and back-story references to please any fan. In this sense the movie succeeds at bringing the old Captain America into relevance in today's world.
The fun begins with a murder mystery, when Nick Fury is presumably assassinated; Captain America follows a trail with fellow agent The Black Widow. Along the way are many surprises and twists. His old friend Bucky Barnes returns as a ruthless assassin working for H.Y.D.R.A, with a mission to kill the good Captain. Steve Rodgers befriends a young soldier Sam Wilson, whom he trusts, and who admires him and his American values.
Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce represents S.H.E.I.L.D and is the money man who funds the operation through influencing a tight knit consortium of world leaders. Can he be trusted….? Is Nick Fury, really dead, will Bucky remember his friendship with Rodgers, will Stan Lee have a cameo?
In the bigger picture, Fury has built a secret arsenal underneath S.H.E.I.L.D headquarters. H.Y.D.R.A has been secretly funding the project through Pierce. When Fury figures this out, he confides in Rodgers and hands him a UBS storage disk that contains all of S.H.E.I.L.D's secrets and in his presumably dying breath tells Rodgers not to trust anyone. The story continues along this line, as Rogers forms a team with Natasha and Sam.
There are cameo appearances by Gary Shandling, (comedian, The Gary Shandling Show) as a corrupt senator working for H.Y.D.R.A as well as the obligatory Stan Lee moment.
MARVEL stories always have a human touch and the relationships between the characters ring true. When The Black Widow flirts with the Captain, you can see what she is thinking inside. Rodgers is all about Truth, Justice and the American way and obviously thrives on trust and loyalty, Fury is all about distrust, protecting freedom and always ready to fight. The newbie to this scenario is Sam Wilson, The Falcon, whose loyalty to the Captain's cause makes him a trusted and valuable friend.
This is a story loaded with intrigue; in fact some of the gadgets and technology are slightly reminiscent of James Bond films. The film has left enough loose ends to make a sequel, as with all good movie franchises, it also ties up the some unanswered questions from the first movie.
I must say, watching Robert Redford play the heavy, with his charm and understatement, makes him more insidious as opposed to over the top as most Bond villains are. He was perfectly cast and just how insidious he is, surprises you at various tense moments throughout the story.
I saw the 3D version of this movie and felt the effect never distracted, that said, the movie would be just as enjoyable with or without the 3D.
I hope MARVEL can keep up the good works and future movies in the franchise, such as the AVENGERS sequel, will live up to the bar as raised by this one.
Tags: Captain America The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans, cinema, cinema commentary, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, entertainment, film, Marvel, Movie Reviews, Movies, reviews, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Stan Lee
Categories Adventure, drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Synopsis: In pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty at the hands of a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelf… Moreth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Solomon Northup)
Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Ford)
Paul Dano (Tibeats)
Garret Dillahunt (Armsby)
Paul Giamatti (Freeman)
Scoot McNairy (Brown)
Lupita Nyong'o (Patsey)
Adepero Oduye (Eliza)
Sarah Paulson (Mistress Epps)
Brad Pitt (Bass)
Michael Kenneth Williams (Robert)
Alfre Woodard (Mistress Shaw)
Chris Chalk (Clemens)
Taran Killam (Hamilton)
Bill Camp (Radburn).
Review: Steve McQueen directs the story Solomon Northup, and gives us a compelling, unrelenting tale of abduction and slavery in pre-civil war years starting in 1841. The film is based on Northup's memoirs entitled, "12 Years a Slave, Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, From a Cotton Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana."
Chiwetel Ejifor plays Northup as both a slave and an outside witness looking in. He does what he has to survive, thinking only of contacting his family left behind and his friends up north who can help him. He is abducted in Washington, DC and sold by an English slave trader named Freeman. (Paul Giamatti). His first master Ford is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Ford has sympathy for the slaves but is helpless and can do nothing for them. He favors Northup and grants him every courtesy. During his time with ford he is taunted by the Ford's overseer. When Northrup fights back, the overseer strings him up on a tree. It takes hours for Ford to come to his rescue, McQueen prolongs the shots of Northup hanging there, sweating in the sun with little water. Ford has no choice but to sell Northup in order to save his life. It is with his next Master, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), a mean, drunk, piggish, bigoted cotton plantation owner, that we see the reality of slave ownership in the deep south.
Lupita Nyong'o plays a slave girl named Patsey who Epps favors and Epps wife despises. She puts up with all manner of shame in order to survive. Nyong'o gives a bravura performance that tugs at your sympathies as she is whipped half to death at Epps' wife's request over a bar of soap.
Northup has a chance meeting with a Canadian Abolitionist, Bass (Brad Pitt) who after hearing Northup's story sets the wheels in motion to get him released and sent home to his family.
McQueen breaks every Hollywood convention about slavery; this is no Gone with the Wind, or say The Little Rebel with Billy (Bojangles) Robinson tap dancing up a staircase with Shirley Temple. We see whippings, hangings and rape in a ways that are hard to take, but the restraint shown by Northup in long shots focused on his face as he internalizes his predicament, puts a human face on the chaos making it easier to swallow. You might say the same thing about Liam Neeson's performance as Oscar Schindler in Spielberg's Schindler's List.
The movie is harrowing, brilliant and a contender for a best picture Oscar.
Tags: 12 Years a Slave, Academy Awards, Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Picture, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, cinema, cinema commentary, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, commentary, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Oscars, Paul Giamatti, reviews
Categories Cinema Bios, drama
Synopsis: Directed by George Clooney and based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 – possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.
George Clooney (Frank Stokes)
Matt Damon (James Granger)
Bill Murray (Richard Campbell)
John Goodman (Walter Garfield)
Jean Dujardin (Jean Claude Clermont)
Bob Balaban (Preston Savitz)
Hugh Bonneville (Donald Jeffries)
Dimitri Leonidas (Sam Epstein),
Cate Blanchett (Claire Simone)
Holger Handtke (Colonel Wegner)
REVIEW: George Clooney has directed a likeable film, in the old school, familiar style reminiscent say of a Guns of Navorone. George, (Frank Stokes), leads his band of men through Europe during the last days of World War II. His job, as assigned by President Franklin Roosevelt, was to find and return the world's art and cultural treasures, stolen by the Nazis under Hitler's orders. It reminds us that Hitler didn't just want to kill the Jews but destroy their culture and any knowledge of their existence off the face of the Earth. Most of the art was owned by private Jewish collectors, and Jewish families, past down generation to generation, the art priceless, the cost of lives, infamous, heinous and we must never forget the result of the Nazi holocaust.
In the telling of the tale, Clooney treaded the fine line of heavy handedness and lightheartedness. Given the implications of the subject matter these are hard issues to navigate and in this regard the movie becomes uneven. The film remains buoyant by the all star cast, Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone a Parisian who is forced to document every art piece taken by the Germans, also works for the French Resistance. Her performance transcends the material she is given and you understand her as she trusts no one, even Matt Damon, (James Granger), who tries to enlist her help for the Monuments men. Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban and Jean Dujardin add to the light heartedness of the characters, their mission is clear and they are all experts in their creative fields. Each one has an ironic sense of duty vs. reality. Murray and Balaban are experts at playing irony and are a joy to watch. John Goodman is always winning and teaming him with Jean Dujardin works on so many levels.
Hugh Bonneville, (Donald Jeffries) is the British counterpart who works with the Monuments Men, and is a friend of Clooney's. Clooney enlists him as a way of saving him from a fall from grace he has had with bouts of alcoholism. Bonneville, who is so wonderful in Downton Abbey, adds certain class to the film as he tries to recover Michelangelo's, Madonna and Child statue.
The story becomes a race against time as the Monuments Men must recover the last of the art before the Russian Army takes claim to it for war reparations caused by the lives lost by the war. The story could have been more involving, the pace perhaps a little quicker as the sense of urgency, however, the Monuments Men is a good story and deserves a look-see just to be reminded of what could have been, if not for brave men and freedom fighters, like these.
RECCOMENDED:
Tags: Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Cate Blanchett, cinema, cinema commentary, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, entertainment, film, George Clooney, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Matt Damon, Movie Reviews, Movies, reviews
Categories Adventure, Comedy, drama, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese directs the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort. From the American dream to corporate greed, Belfort goes from penny stocks and righteousness to IPOs and a life of corruption in the late 80s. Excess success and affluence in his early twenties as founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont warranted Belfort the title "The Wolf of Wall Street." — (C) Paramount
Leonardo DiCaprio (Jordan Belfort)
Jonah Hill (Donnie Azoff)
Margot Robbie (Naomi)
Matthew McConaughey (Mark Hanna)
Kyle Chandler (Patrick Denham)
Rob Reiner (Max Belfort)
Jon Favreau (Manny Riskin)
Cristin Milioti (Teresa)
Jean Dujardin (Jean-Jacques Saurel)
REVIEW: Martin Scorsese has directed a controversial, raw story, of greed, debauchery, and addiction, filled with humor, shock and lots of sex thrown in. The story is based on the autobiographical book, The wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort, the founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont.
Within the first few minutes, the film introduces us to Belfort, played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio, he describes his life as images depict him snorting blow off the posterior end of a prostitute, crashing his helicopter down on the front lawn of his Long Island mansion and various othe unbridled deeds of debauchery. The story grabs you and never lets you go, it is at once comedic and tragic.
The film in flashback , recounts a young married Belfort getting his first job on wall street where his naiveté is obvious. His boss Mark Hanna, played by Matthew McConaughey, takes Belfort under his wings and explains the ropes of large commissions in what is possibly the funniest luncheon moment I have ever seen. Hanna starts to do a primal chant, to raise his energy and urges Belfort to do the same. He also urges Belfort to do cocaine as an brain opener followed by self release to temper the energy. The scene is hilarious and starts Belfort on his road to greed, addictions and debauchery.
When Belfort loses his job, due to the stock market crash of the 1980's, remembered as black Monday, he finds a job as a penny stock salesman in his home town on Long Island. He literally becomes their best salesman ever, 50% commissions on every sale, he decides to start his own company. He puts together a team of cronies and phonies, which also happen to be some of the best character actors around, the first person he recruits is a nebbish, Donnie Azoff, played hysterically by Jonah Hill. The two of them create an empire of selling selling junk stocks to the rich by first offering them blue chip stocks to gain their confidence. The commissions they make are staggering and the money seems to pour in.
Belfort creates the firm of Stratton Oakmont as his success continues. He hires con-artists and salespeople with no brokerage background and makes them all millionaires with his schemes. As a reward he throws big parties with hookers, drinking ,drugs and becomes the leader and spokesman of his cult of believers. His addictions grow exponentially with his power and greed, he and his cohorts partake in bacchanalian orgies, he downs Quaaludes like candy, divorces his home town wife, marries a super model, is stalked by the FBI for insider trading and so on and so forth. Scorsese does not miss any sordid or hilarious detail. One question comes to mind, is this comedy about American business as usual? If so, should we as a species ask ourselves what motivates people to act this way and is this a true look at who we really are?
The film never disappoints and has a energy and a style that only Scorsese can deliver. DiCaprio is becoming a true super-star and his bravura performance, supported by a superb ensemble of character actors, makes this a must see, to believe film. Some people may be offended by the themes of misogyny and addiction, but the film does deliver with a one-two punch. The film has been nominated for a best picture Oscar for the upcoming 2014 academy awards.
Tags: Academy Awards, cinema, cinema commentary, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, commentary, entertainment, film, films, Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio, martin scorsese, Movies, Oscars, The Wolf of Wall Street
Categories Comedy, drama, Movie Reviews
Director – Alfonso Cuaron, Screenplay – Jonas Cuaron , Screenplay – Alfonso Cuaron
Synopsis: Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone – tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space. — (C) Warner Bros.
Sandra Bullock – Ryan Stone
George Clooney – Matt Kowalsky
Ed Harris – Mission Control
Orto Ignatiussen – Aningaaq
Amy Warren – Explorer Captain
Review: Gravity is a pulse pounding, thrill ride of a film that is less cerebral than say Kubrick' s, 2001 A Space Odyssey , less fantasy visually than Cuaron's Pan's Labrynth, and certainly not based in the Star Trek/Star Wars style mythology. Gravity is a visually stunning "what if" adventure concerning itself with survival, if faced with abandonment, in a routine space walk and disaster strikes. Sandra Bullock as Medical Engineer Ryan Stone, on her first venture into space with George Clooney as veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky are busy working outside their space shuttle when they get an urgent message from NASA, the Russians by demolishing one of their obsolete satellites, causing fragments of debris, metal parts, and various other satellite parts to fly at enormous speeds in the path of the shuttle. All hell breaks loose causing Clooney and Bullock to spin out of control. Clooney manages to stop his spin, Bullock, who is now spinning away from the shuttle is alone and out of touch with NASA. The silence, horror and panic in the vastness of space is as terrifying and real a moment, in brilliant use of 3D yet, that propels the events that ensue. In Bullock's character we learn her back story and come to realize this is a woman who lost a child and is about to confront her maker, and the changes that take place as she manages to save herself. The movements of Clooney and Bullock are tense as they clock the time the debris will orbit back and hit them again. Bullock's face beneath the helmet she wears shows the desperation as she listens for Clooney's voice to talk her through it. With their colleagues dead, you can only hope that these two manage to save themselves. Using a thruster pack Clooney and Bullock make their way to the nearby International Space Station (ISS) only to find it damaged and unusable. En route to the ISS, the two discuss Stone's life back home and the death of her young daughter. As they approach the substantially damaged but still operational ISS, they see its crew has evacuated in one of its two Soyuz modules and that the parachute of the other capsule has accidentally been deployed, rendering it useless for returning to Earth. Kowalski suggests the remaining Soyuz be used to travel to the nearby Chinese space station Tiangong, 100 mi (160 km) away, and board one of its modules to return safely to Earth. Out of air and maneuvering power, the two try to grab onto the ISS as they fly by. Stone's leg gets entangled in Soyuz's parachute cords and she is able to grab a strap on Kowalski's suit. Despite Stone's protests, Kowalski detaches himself from the tether to save her from drifting away with him, and she is pulled back towards the ISS. As Kowalski floats away, he radios her additional instructions and encouragement. The rest of the story is about Bullock's rebirth and survival as she confronts her own demons and past. Cuaron uses imagery to depict Bullock as baby in a womb as Bullock floats through the Soyuz.
This is a first class adventure movie; the use of 3D enhances the story in a way I have never seen before. You feel the sense of insignificance as alone and floating in the silence of space can be. The film is up for 2013 Best Picture Academy Award and Bullock is up for Best Actress.
Tags: Academy Awards, Alfonso Cuaron, cinema, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, commentary, entertainment, film, George Clooney, Gravity, Movie Reviews, Movies, Oscars, Sandra Bullock
Categories Adventure, drama, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi
SYNOPSIS: Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) takes the helm for this black and white road trip drama starring Bruce Dern as a tempestuous Missouri father who's convinced he's won a million dollar magazine sweepstakes, and Will Forte as the son who grudgingly agrees to drive him to Nebraska to claim his winnings.
Bruce Dern – Woody Grant
Will Forte – David Grant
Bob Odenkirk – Ross Grant
Stacy Keach – Ed Pegram
June Squibb – Kate Grant
Devin Ratray – Cole
Mary Louise Wilson – Mrs. Grant
Rance Howard – Uncle Ray
REVIEW: Nebraska, directed by Alexander Payne, tells an American tale, of Woody Grant, played by Bruce Dern, as an old timer who believes he has won a million dollars from a magazine sweepstakes. The story is filmed in black and white, and takes on a journey through the bleak Midwest. Grant is stubborn and willing to walk from his home in Omaha to Nebraska to claim his winnings. His son David begrudgingly agrees to drive Woody, and an journey of family discovery and Woody's past unfolds. Bruce Dern's portrayal alone is enough to see the film, the icing on the cake is the bleak journey of discovery and family secrets we are taken on. The "Grapes of Wrath Setting" adds to the determination of Woody as he slowly but surely gets to his destination of Lincoln, Nebraska. This is a post modern depression tale of middle America as it is today, you might say an up to date American Gothic. This is wonderful cinema and aside from Dern's tour de force acting, the rest of the cast is a delight as well.
June Squibb plays Kate Grant, the exasperated wife of Woody. She is at her wits end with Woody's antics and wants him in a home so someone else can watch him. Her portrayal is humorous, real and at times a bit saucy. You can't help but love her for being outspoken.
Will Forte portrays David Grant, Woody's youngest son, who reluctantly agrees he should take his father to Lincoln knowing the letter was a scam. David and his father learn to get along during the journey, they drink together, and David even put's up with his father's demands. David is determined to either make his dad face reality about the million or see him through to the end of his dream.
Stacy Keach plays Ed Pegram, Woody's ex-partner in a car mechanic shop in Woody's home town of Hawthorne Nebraska. Ed is convinced Woody is rich and wants to $10,000 in reparations from all the business that was lost over the years from Woody's drinking and screw ups.
Rance Howard plays Ray, Woody's brother and the two hardly say two words together, apparently they have nothing to talk about. Their moments together are comical and paint an unflattering family portrait.
As David and Woody visit the town of Hawthorne, Woody spills the beans about the million, he has been drinking and boasts a little about the letter. When word gets out Woody is rich, although not really the whole town treats him like a celebrity.
The following day, Ross, Woody's other son portrayed by Bob Odenkirk and Woody's wife Kate arrive in Haawthorne. They all try to cope with dad being the town celebrity as Woody just can't wait to go to Nebraska and claim his fortune.
The film has won many accolades since its' release, including The American Film Institute calling it one of the top ten films of the year and Bruce Dern has been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
Tags: Academy Awards, Alexander Payne, Bruce Dern, cinema, Cinema Review, commentary, entertainment, film, Golden Globes, June Squibb, Movies, Nebraska, Oscars, reviews, Will Forte
Categories Comedy, drama, Uncategorized
Christian Bale – Irving Rosenfeld
Bradley Cooper – Richie DiMaso
Amy Adams – Sydney Prosser
Jeremy Renner – Mayor Carmine Polito
Jennifer Lawrence – Rosalyn Rosenfeld
Louis C.K. – Stoddard Thorsen
Jack Huston – Pete Musane
Alessandro Nivola – Reggio
Michael Peña – Paco Hernandez/Sheik Abdullah
Shea Whigham – Carl Elway
Robert De Niro – Victor Tellegio
REVIEW: Directed by David O. Russell and written by Russell and Eric Warren Singer is based on the ABSCAM sting of 1978. The story concerns itself with Irving Rosenfeld a small time Hustler, sells fake art, owns a chain of Laundromats, and cons people out of thousands with fake investment scams. He is a genius at what he does and like most con-artists he has bigger dreams. He meets his match at a party, a woman, Sydney Prosser, played by Amy Adams. She is an ex-exotic dancer/stripper and is looking to reinvent herself. Irving finds himself connected to her, and she with him, she falls for him and becomes his mistress.. He teaches her the con game and she reinvents herself as English noblewoman with Royal connections. The two swindle the desperate with bad investment schemes, until one of the investors turns out to be an FBI man named Richie DiMaso, played by Bradley Cooper.
DiMaso coerces the two into helping him put the finger on corrupt politicians like a New Jersey Mayor , Carmine Polito played by Jeremy Renner. Jennifer Lawrence plays Rosalyn Rosenfeld, Irving's wife, whose son, Irving has adopted as his own. She gets involved much to Syndney's dislike and almost ruins the sting operation. Irving is forever mending fences caused by his wife and DiMaso who wants to be in control but is at odds with Irving's plans.
The look of the film, its' colors and textures are very reminiscent of films made in that era. The music is strictly Disco and Jazz, giving the film its' mood and setting. The script is a dark screwball comedy, and I found myself laughing at the situations as they grew more complex and absurd.
This is a fine film with an outstanding cast, all deliver solid and believable performances. Christian Bale is Irving Rosenfeld and delivers New York greasy with class and panache. He is balding, with a comb over from hell. that he meticulously puts into place with latex and hairspray to keep the illusion of being someone else. He is adorned with bling that includes a big Star of David on a gold chain and bracelets. He wears suits that look like they fell off a hanger . Bales performance is real, comical in a human way, and pathetic every time he downs a heart pill.
Amy Adams delivers a fine performance as Sydney Prosser, it is wonderful to see her in a role that is down and dirty as opposed to squeaky clean. You understand her as she looks for something real in her life, opposed to the fakery she has been living, in order to survive.
Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn Rosenfeld plays her as ditzy, bored, scared, and looking for some excitement in her life. Every time she does something stupid, like accidently blowing up the microwave or causing a fire in her kitchen or some other thing it is obvious she is trying to get her husband's attention. She is a very lonely and this is at the core of her performance.
The cast is rounded out by great performances by comedian Louis C.K. as FBI man, Stoddard Thorson and Robert De Niro's cameo as mob boss(what else) Victor Tellegio, among others.
This comedic caper is one of the finest ensemble casts I have seen in a long time. The film is deservedly getting a lot of attention and rewards. Don't miss it. I predict the film will walk away with Oscars.
Tags: Academy Awards, American Hustle, Amy Adams, Christain Bale, cinema, cinema commentary, Cinema Reviews, David O'Russell, entertainment, Film Reviews, Golden Globes, Jennifer Lawrence, Movie Reviews, Movies, Robert De Niro
Alec Baldwin-Hal
Cate Blanchett-Jasmine
Louis C. K.-Al
Bobby Cannavale-Chili
Andrew Dice Clay-Augie
Sally Hawkins-Ginger
Peter Sarsgaard-Dwight
Michael Stuhlbarg-Dr. Flicker
Review: Written and Directed by Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine is Allen's modern telling of Streetcar named Desire. It is the story of a fallen Manhattan socialite, Jasmine (Blanchett) who moves in with her sister Ginger(Hawkins) after she loses all her money and social standing because of her investment broker husband Hal's (Baldwin) dirty investment dealings.
Jasmine's state is post nervous breakdown and when she arrives in San Francisco she is a fish out of water. On the plane ride from NY to California she is talking to herself and the poor lady sitting next to her politely listens. Jasmine arrives at her sister's home in Frisco's mission district she asks a stranger "Where am I exactly." This where the story begins and we realize Jasmine is over the edge and hides it by drinking vodka and downing xanax. Blanchette's performance is masterful as Jasmine clutches to whatever dignity she has left.
Baldwin's Hal is cold calculating, manipulative and charming. He gives Jasmine the dream life of jewels, furs, a Park Avenue address, a beach house in the Hamptons she has all the superficial trappings and spoils a woman can want. Hal is a philanderer, lives off the spoils of other people's money and doesn't care who he brings down to get it. He charms his way all the way into ruination ala Bernie Madoff.
The Stanley Kowalskis' in this scenario are Jasmin's sister's ex-husband Augie, played by Andrew Dice Clay, he nails it, and Chili, Ginger's new boyfriend played by Bobby Cannavale.
The story is told in flashbacks as Jasmin relives the past in her rantings, as much as she tries to reconcile what she has become each passing day she is haunted by her past. Blanchett's mood swings are so real as she navigates from sober then drunk to passive on the pills. You are pulled along for the ride and her performance is the best I ever have seen her do. Allen is known for writing great parts for woman and this role is no exception.
This is Allen's strongest movie since Match Point and proves once again what a prolific film maker he is. The movie never uses humor as gag style comedy, the moments of humor scattered throughout come organically from the situations Jasmine finds herself in and the self delusion that goes along with it. You hope throughout that Jasmine's can turn her life around.
There are moments when you realize that Jasmine's breakdown has an underlying feeling of betrayal, is she betraying herself, is she hiding a secret, was it Hal's betrayal and philandering that put her over the edge. Allen who loves Ingmar Bergman's films, gives this story a tragic Bergamanesque take on the human condition in the way the film deconstructs inch after fragile inch of Jasmine's character. Blanchett reveals enough of Jasmine's demons to root for her to change. Jasmine is in such deep denial that when she castigates her sister for having such losers as a husband and boyfriend, you can't help but think that she is actually talking about her own situation.
The way Allen writes each character none of them fall into charactures or exaggerations, he pulls great performances out of all his cast members.
This is one of Allen's finest films and it is apparent Allen is still at the peak of his story telling powers. Blanchett is a tour-de-force and shows us why we like to go to the movies in the first place. I am sure she will see a best actress nod for this one.
Tags: Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett, cinema, Cinema Review, Cinema Reviews, commentary, entertainment, film, film review, reviews, Woody Allen
Categories drama
Directed by Noah Baumbach; written by Mr. Baumbach and Greta Gerwig
Synopsis: Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren't really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. FRANCES HA is a modern comic fable that explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption.
Greta Gerwig -Frances
Mickey Sumner-Sophie
Patrick Heusinger-Patch
Adam Driver-Lev
Michael Zegen-Benji
Grace Gummer-Rachel
REVIEW: This delightful, interesting, black and white IFC film, starring the "Queen of Independent" films, Greta Gerwig, tells the tale of a twenty-something woman coming to terms with growing up. Frances is 28 and dreams of being a dancer with the dance company she apprentices with. It becomes apparent what she dreams and what reality is are two different things. She shares her best friend Sophies's apartment but as time moves on Sophie faces the real world while Frances is still stuck in her dreams.
There is a bit of Frances in all of us as we have to face adulthood and responsibilities. Frances is the child in us all and she is both reckless and joyous as she naively, almost blindly moves to attain her perceived goals. It is plain to see she is uncomfortable with convention and she knows, even with self-doubt that she must continue after her dreams no matter what other people think. In essence as her friendships grow apart and she builds new ones, they are made with the desperate hope someone will take her at face value. Gerwig gives Frances, humor, an adorable flightiness, charm, insecurity and an enormous amount of likeability. As people she meets see through her, she obviously thinks they are crazy for not taking her offbeat view of life seriously. She almost jokingly is labeled un-dateable, her dance mentor sympathizes with her but understands Frances is not a dancer. Her adventures through New York City where she lives, are at once humorous and soul searching. Gerwig gives a remarkable performance.
There is an interesting moment in the film when Frances, on a date, leaves the restaurant she is in, she offered to pay for dinner but the restaurant won't take her debit card. She leaves the date in the restaurant to find an ATM to pay cash. While running back to the restaurant she trips and falls, when she returns her date notices her arm is bleeding. She was completely unaware of the damage she inflicted on herself. It seems this moment is a metaphor for how she has lived her life, running from place to place, falling down and not realizing the consequences as she recklessly pursues her dreams.
The film overall has a light touch, and some laugh out loud moments. By the films end you can't help but feel that Frances is just beginning to get it right. The title of the movie Frances Ha, is also a metaphor for who Frances is, you as an observer can't take un-dateable Frances seriously, Francis Ha! No spoilers on how the title becomes relevant. The film is about the search and Frances takes us along for the ride.
The film grew on me as the story progressed and I am sure all of us have met a Frances Halloway at some point or another. Gerwig makes this her own and shares a writing credit with the director.
Tags: cinema, Cinema Review, commentary, entertainment, film, Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig, IFC, Independant films, Movies, Noah Baumback, reviews
Categories Comedy, drama
Biblical Epics
Cinema Bios
MGM Musicals


Christopher Narty has reported a Broad-billed Roller at Alphonse on 11 December.
This species is an annual visitor to the Aldabra Group and a vagrant elsewhere in Seychelles. SBRC has accepted 26 records east of Aldabra, including 10 from Alphonse.


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Archive clips and features
Race clips
Saturday 20th July 1:30PM ITV3
Twiston-Davies hoping for National go-ahead with Bristol De Mai
16:30 - 22 Mar 2019
Nigel Twiston-Davies is keen on a crack at the Randox Health Grand National with top-weight Bristol De Mai - but has stressed a final decision rests with owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
The grey outran his 18-1 odds to finish a fine third in the Magners Gold Cup at Cheltenham behind Al Boum Photo.
It was only his third run of the season, having won the Betfair Chase at Haydock for a second time on his return and fallen in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Twiston-Davies - who has never lost faith in his eight-year-old - said: "No decision has been made yet. I'd have thought if he goes anywhere it would be the Grand National, well I hope it would, but I've not spoken to the owners.
"If we feel he is well enough we will probably go for the National."
He added of his Gold Cup run: "It was disappointing, as I thought he would win, but he didn't, so there you are.
"He was beaten by two better horses. I've said all along he was overlooked by a lot of people."
Bristol De Mai can be backed at 25-1 for the National, as money continues to pour in for favourite Tiger Roll, who is bidding to become the first back-to-back winner since Red Rum in 1974.
Gordon Elliott's diminutive chaser has looked better than ever this season and recorded a fourth win at the Cheltenham Festival last week. He is now just a 3-1 chance with William Hill.
"The gamble on Tiger Roll continues and is showing very little sign of slowing down," said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.
"His price has been cut six times since winning at Cheltenham and we could see further cuts in the next few days."
See more from Racing
Appleby pays tribute to Masar following retirement
Ten Sovereigns bounces back to form to win the Darley July Cup!
View all updates from Racing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Through countless meetings and discussion, we come up with this sustainable campus project aiming to arouse more attention to the bond between man and land. This project is not just about the working of engineering and construction, but about understanding and caring of the land on which we live.
Our school converts wind and sunlight into green energy and puts the experience into the green courses. We also arrange a couple of activities for students to approach these new power systems. Through these courses and activities, they begin to realize the importance of energy saving and the marvelous conversion of natural resources into electricity. Our school¡¦s wind and PV solar power systems also become a new landmark not just for our campus but also for the county.
Chiao-Yi Hall is made of green materials and serves as the center of our eco education. Its surrounding spaces are open for students¡¦ outdoor activities. During the construction of the hall, we took up the opportunity and explained the green materials to our students. Now, the hall is surrounded by tree shades and breeze. It provides a pleasant place for kids to chill out and best exemplifies the combination of green materials and sustainability into our daily life.
We hang a couple of students¡¦ works on the sustainable campus project and some signboards in Chiao-Yi Hall. We also invited their parents and local people to come and share our experience in sustainable development.
Our sustainable campus project provides a great opportunity for us to educate the students how sustainable development plays an important role in our daily life. We hope they can learn the deep meaning of sustainability and bring it back to their family and local communities.


제자교회는 올해도 전교인 여름 수련회를 가졌습니다. 벤쿠버 Origin 교회를 섬기고 계신 Peter Yoon 목사님과 함께 한 수련회에 다양한 연령대의 많은 분들이 참여 하셔서 '함께 세워가는 교회' 란 주제로 은혜로운 시간을 함께 했습니다.
DCFM had annual summer retreat with all the members. This year, we invited pastor Peter Yoon who serves Origin church in Vancouver at UBC campus. This years theme was about building church together with 1st and 2nd generation, and had wonderful time together!


I wanted a name that was relevant to me and to the path that led me to where I am today. I spent months brainstorming names and ruling them out because they didn't fit my story. That's what a name does…it tells a story. It may be passed from generation to generation, bestowed in some way that represents your family's history. That's what I wanted for this firm…a meaningful name that represents my priorities, values, and heritage.
At first, I spent months on a running list of possible names based on streets and natural features in my adopted state of Michigan. But that's just it…my path to Michigan began outside of 'The Mitten'. It began in my hometown of Colfax, Illinois, a small farming community with a population of 1,036. A quick Google search of Colfax led me to Colfax Corporation, a publicly traded industrial business. I knew I would cause too much confusion if I just used Colfax; the name needed to be more distinct.
That's how I ended up on Google Maps, zooming over my hometown. I began to note that the little stream that ran through town actually had a name, Colfax Creek. I knew that stream well…I just never knew it had a name.
You see, I grew up on a corn and soybean farm three miles from town and "the Crick", as we called that stream of water, ran along the end of our corn fields about a half-mile behind our home. The Crick was a magical place in my childhood. I passed many hours fishing, wading, shooting my BB gun, building forts, camping, and floating inner tubes with my siblings and friends. It was a childhood paradise. Those moments made up an awesome childhood experience that cultivated my imagination, self-reliance, and intrinsic motivation. It was a destination after a hot day of walking beans, shucking sweet corn, and observing my father and his fellow farmers work together to produce something significant. My upbringing in small town America, where everyone knows each other and reputations are built over decades and lost overnight, taught me that relationships matter.
I had my name…Colfax Creek. It is a constant reminder of small town America where life was viewed with a long-term approach and based on the relationships that you formed whether for business or friendship.
Tucked behind the main street of Frankenmuth, Michigan, where Bavarian architecture, world-famous chicken dinners and horse-drawn carriages are town trademarks, stands the grinding facility of GLE Precision.


The Manor Apartment With Area 38m2, 1 Bedroom, The Wooden Floor.
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Galaxy 9 apartment in District 4 has 1 bedroom for rent.


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What are House debates?
Road Charges Legislation Repeal and Amendment Bill 2008
Consideration in Detail
All House debates on 23 Oct 2008 « Previous debate Next debate »
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
by leave—I move amendments (1) to (5):
(1) Schedule 3, item 4, page 5 (lines 15 to 25), omit the item, substitute:
4 At the end of section 43-10
Meaning of road user charge
(7) The road user charge for taxable fuel means:
(a) if no rate has been determined by the *Transport Minister under section 43-15—21 cents for each litre of the fuel;
(b) otherwise—the rate determined by the Transport Minister under section 43-15.
(2) Schedule 3, after item 4, page 5 (after line 25), insert:
4A After section 43.10
Insert:
43-15 Determining the road user charge
(1) The *Transport Minister may determine, by legislative instrument, the *road user charge.
(2) In determining the *road user charge, the *Transport Minister must not apply a method for indexing the charge.
(3) The *road user charge must be based on the figure (the net figure) that is the difference between:
(a) the amount of government expenditure on construction and maintenance of public roads that is allocated to heavy vehicles; and
(b) the amount of government revenue raised through registration of heavy vehicles and other charges imposed as a direct result of heavy vehicle use.
Note: 'Government revenue', 'government expenditure' and 'heavy vehicle' are defined in subsection (8).
(4) The rate of the *road user charge must not be increased unless:
(a) the net figure has increased since the date the existing road user charge became effective; and
(b) an average of at least 50 additional heavy vehicle rest areas have been constructed each year on the National Land Transport Network, as defined in the AusLink (National Land Transport) Act 2005, since the date the existing road user charge became effective; and
(c) the type of rest areas constructed, their spacing and amenities are consistent with the goal that rest areas in the National Land Transport Network will comply by 2019 with the recommendations in the National Guidelines for the Provision of Rest Area Facilities Final Report, Revised November 2005, prepared by the National Transport Commission; and
(d) substantial harmonisation has been achieved in State and Territory transport regulations, including heavy vehicle fatigue reform measures; and
(e) Infrastructure Australia, the body established by the Infrastructure Australia Act 2008, has advised the *Transport Minister in writing that:
(i) the matters referred to in paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) have occurred, or will have occurred, at the date the proposed increase in the road user charge is to become effective; and
(ii) the construction of heavy vehicle rest areas makes reasonably adequate provision for current and future use by high-productivity vehicles.
Note: Infrastructure Australia's functions include functions conferred by laws other than its enabling Act―see paragraph 5(2)(k).
(f) the Transport Minister has released publicly, at least 60 days before making a determination under this section (the public consultation period), the net figure mentioned in subsection (3), all the expenditure figures and revenue estimates, statistics, formulas, methods, models, and inputs used to calculate the net figure and the proposed rate of the road user charge, the advice of Infrastructure Australia referred to in paragraph (d) and a statement explaining the reasons for the proposed rate increase; and
(g) the Transport Minister has had regard to submissions received within the public consultation period.
(5) The arterial road and other expenditure figures provided by the Commonwealth, States and Territories and released in accordance with paragraph (4)(f) must contain a statement of verification by the auditor-general in the jurisdiction to which the figures relate.
(6) The *Transport Minister must not make more than one determination in a financial year if the effect of the determination would be to increase the *road user charge more than once in that financial year.
(7) A determination made under this section must not take effect earlier than the first day after the end of the period in which the determination may be disallowed under Part 5 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
government expenditure means the amounts of expenditure by the Commonwealth, States, Territories and local governments for a financial year calculated in real terms as averages over a seven-year period using the latest:
(a) available arterial road expenditure figures provided by each of the States and Territories; and
(b) local road expenditure information based on Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
government revenue means the total of the amount of revenue expected to be raised by each of the Commonwealth, States, Territories and local governments in the financial year immediately following the date the determination made under this section is to commence.
heavy vehicle means a vehicle with a gross vehicle mass of more than 4.5 tonnes.
(3) Schedule 3, page 5 (line 29) and page 6 (line 1), omit item 6.
(4) Schedule 3, page 6 (lines 2 to 3), omit item 7.
The amendments moved by the opposition will address four issues of concern to us regarding the charge-setting regime on the heavy vehicle industry. The first is indexation of charges, the second is fair charge setting, the third is heavy vehicle rest areas and the four responds to the absurdity and contradiction of state based transport regulations. The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in his reply to the second reading debate has pre-empted these amendments by responding in advance, but let me put the case for them. The coalition's approach to fuel excise indexation is well known. We oppose indexation of taxes. In 2001 the coalition government abolished Paul Keating's fuel excise indexation in order to protect Australians from a tax grab by stealth that occurred every year. When we last discussed the road user charge in this place last March, the government proposed to index the road user charge. This charge was to be indexed on a formula based on road construction and maintenance costs and the use of the road system by heavy vehicles. Since road construction costs have risen so dramatically in recent years and the formula used by the National Transport Commission in its 2007 heavy vehicle charges determination has removed the CPI cap, the index will probably lift by at least seven per cent a year. This is a very big slug on Australia's hardworking truckies, and it would not have been based on any current assessment of what level of change had applied and was justifiable.
The government says that future road user charges can be set by regulation and that the regulations may include a method of indexation. That is what is included in the bill, and I acknowledge that the government has made that concession. The wording of the bill, though, which amends section 43-10 of the Fuel Tax Act 2006 to permit the making of a separate regulation, when defining that regulation, states in clause 4(8):
The regulations may prescribe a method for indexing the road user charge.
This is our problem: the option of a road user charge by indexation is still included in the legislation. This means the government may make a regulation that contains an indexing formula that defines subsequent increases in the road user charge. What follows is that the government need not make such a regulation again. Should parliament pass such a regulation, the road user charge would go up every year without the opportunity for parliament to debate or disallow such an increase and potentially also without the need for regular checks on its validity. Our amendments address this concern. Under our proposal the government would need to issue a legislative instrument every time to change the road user charge. To make this perfectly clear, our amendments incorporate a new subsection into the Fuel Tax Act, which reads:
In determining the road user charge, the Transport Minister must not apply a method for indexing the charge.
If the government wants to increase the charge, it needs the permission of parliament. To us that seems fair and proper. A fair charge cannot be based on an automatic formula. It should be a broad calculation of the amount spent on roads to meet the requirements of the trucking industry less the amount raised from the registration fees.
The second element of our amendments is the requirement that the road user charge be set fairly. The road user charge is designed to recover the cost imposed upon Australia's road system by the heavy vehicle industry. It is only reasonable that the sector that is being charged for such costs be consulted and its views considered. Unfortunately, the National Transport Commission did not adequately meet these requirements when it developed its recommendations. For example, the commission refused to provide the trucking industry with the model it used to determine its charges. Some of the raw data from the states and territories that went into the model was also not made available.
The commission conducted a major stakeholder meeting in May 2007, where it called for votes on particular aspects of its charging model. Unfortunately, most of the stakeholders at the meeting represented the state and territory governments, not the trucking industry. In effect, the meeting was stacked by those who would benefit from the charge going up. When the commission developed the charges, it included in its assumptions that many trucks illegally carry high loads. This is in spite of the fact that it has already imposed $65 million of enforcement costs on the industry in its calculations of the financial impact on the trucking industry. (Extension of time granted) Essentially, the commission has double-billed the industry for this illegal activity.
Obviously, no industry likes charges. That makes it all the more important that such charges be determined by an open and honest process. Our amendments do so by setting out the standards under which the charges must be developed. These standards will require the government to release all of the estimates, statistics, formulas, methods and inputs used to calculate the road user charge rate and will oblige the government of the day to explain the reasons for any proposed rate increase. They require public consultations for 60 days on proposed rate increases and direct the minister to have regard to the submissions received during the public consultation period. The opposition acknowledges that these are strict conditions but makes no apologies for that. An increase in a charge upon an industry already doing it tough deserves openness and transparency.
I turn to the provision of rest areas. The third objective of the opposition's amendments is to link the possibility of any future increases in the road user charge to the construction of more rest areas on the AusLink national network. The minister has said repeatedly in the debates on this issue that the government's announced $70 million Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Package is dependent on the passage of this legislation to introduce higher charges on the industry, but where are the guarantees that the money will actually be delivered to the promised rest areas? The minister suggested that the previous government had no interest in the provision of rest areas but, in reality, we were building rest areas every year. A significant number of rest areas were constructed using Commonwealth funding, and the amendments to the legislation merely clarified the powers. It did not start the process; it had already been occurring.
Members may have noticed that there are more trucks parked on the side of our highways than ever before. That is because Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia introduced new fatigue laws on 29 September. These laws reduced the number of hours that truck drivers can work before they are required to take a break. The problem is that there are not enough rest areas where truck drivers can stop. It is a problem that will get worse as the number of trucks on the highway also increases. After undertaking a study of the state of Australia's roadside rest facilities, the National Transport Commission, in November 2005, issued its guidelines for the provision of rest area facilities. This report sets out where rest areas should be built in order to comply with the various road agency guidelines and to cater for the needs of heavy vehicle drivers. This is the answer to the minister's questions about what sort of rest areas should be built and where the standards should be developed. That has already been done; it was agreed in November 2005.
A major rest area, according to those standards, should be provided every 100 kilometres, with sufficient parking for at least 20 trucks; a minor rest area, every 50 kilometres, with parking for up to 10 trucks; and a truck parking bay, every 30 kilometres, with enough space for four or five trucks so the drivers can do their safety checks. Further, an independent government research agency, Austroads, recently audited Australia's major highways against those guidelines. Their report, released in March this year, showed that none of the audited routes met the national guidelines and that 60 per cent of the audited routes had substantial deficiencies. There were particular problems in Queensland and the Northern Territory. A list of the highways which had particular deficiencies was identified but I will not take the time of the House to go through it in full. Only about half of the major rest areas on the Hume and Pacific highways in New South Wales met the specific requirements for the guidelines. Obviously, the lack of heavy vehicle rest areas is a safety issue. We should not have truck drivers pressing on down the highway when they are fatigued or out of hours because the rest area where they planned to stop is full and there is no alternative. In addition, the recent heavy vehicle driver laws will only increase pressure on these heavy vehicle rest areas. The law now requires them to stop, but, if there are no rest areas available, that is going to be very difficult.
I also note that, in the Senate estimates hearings of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the deputy secretary, Mr Wilson, admitted that the $70 million package would not solve the problem on its own. So there does need to be a considerable investment of expenditure on these sorts of issues. (Extension of time granted) In fact, according to the trucking industry, there needs to be another 900 rest areas on the 22,500 kilometres of the AusLink national network to bring it into line with the national rest area guidelines. This estimate is based on duplicating the rest areas on both sides of the roads so that trucks never have to turn across oncoming traffic to get into a rest area. But the opposition has been informed that constructing 500 additional rest areas would bring the network broadly into compliance with staggered rest areas on the left and right sides of our highways. That is why we chose the number of 50 rather than the larger figure that was identified in the audit.
This amendment would permit the government to increase the road user charge again only if, amongst other things, it had built an average of 50 rest areas on the AusLink National Network each year since the last increase in the charge. That will deliver 500 rest areas over 10 years. The amendment also requires that Infrastructure Australia audit progress and advise that the rest areas are consistent with the goal of having the national network compliant with the national guidelines by 2019.
We estimate that the total cost of building these rest areas would be about $300 million over the 10 years. Some of the rest areas would cost millions of dollars, particularly on major freight routes in urban areas, but most of them would cost just a couple of hundred thousand dollars. It is a small amount compared to the revenue that the government will raise from the road user charge over the next 10 years. The government has estimated that the measure in the bill will raise $490 million over four years, starting at $40 million this year but rising to $190 million in 2011-12. Using Treasury's figures and extrapolating from 2011-12 at a growth of seven per cent per year, the revenue raised works out at over $2.5 billion. The measures that we have introduced would reduce that figure, because the government will have to justify increases in the charge rather than watching it ratchet up every year. But the increases in the road user charge could still be expected to generate significant extra revenue.
The opposition regards the lack of rest areas as a key issue facing drivers of heavy vehicles. It is a safety matter and quite clearly someone has to stand up for the ordinary truck drivers who work long hours on our highways. Our amendments would give them a guarantee that something is going to be done about providing the facilities they need. We also call upon the government to stop the tactic of threatening the future of this program on the basis of the passage of the bills. We think it is important to get on with safety measures to improve our roads, and that should happen irrespective of whether this bill is passed.
Finally, I want to address the amendments which deal with the ridiculous situation in Australia regarding contradictory stated based transport regulations, and the minister is right when he says that this is an ongoing issue that neither his party nor our parties were able to resolve in previous terms in government. But we do need to make more headway. I acknowledge that this measure puts pressure on the federal government rather than the state governments. But I recall the promises made by the Rudd government regarding its capacity to work constructively with the state governments. There was a lot of talk about how there was going to be cooperative federalism. If there is that element of cooperative federalism, it is important that we actually see some delivery of results. Instead of just pious, well-meaning declarations from COAG, we want to see things happen. That is why we have included in our amendment the insertion of sections 43-15(4)(d) and (e). These clauses stipulate that the government may only raise the road user charge if substantial harmonisation has been achieved in state and territory transport regulations, including heavy vehicle fatigue reform measures, and if Infrastructure Australia is satisfied with that.
We have all agreed that the issue of state based transport regulations is an enormous problem and that it is costing the industry millions of dollars, and undoubtedly putting extra pressure on the industry. If we want to charge the freight sector more, the government must make genuine progress in fixing this issue. The opposition acknowledge that the government has made improvements and that this legislation is better than the legislation that preceded it, but we think that the legislation needs more work and that our amendments will improve it. It will satisfy the industry that they are getting a fair deal for the money that they are paying and encourage a constructive attitude towards achieving uniformity and progress in national regulations.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank the shadow minister, the member for Wide Bay, for outlining again some of the reasoning behind the amendments that he has moved to the Road Charges Legislation Repeal and Amendment Bill 2008. I want to point to why the government specifically opposes these amendments, and I will work in reverse order from the way that the shadow minister put them. The problem with clause 4(d) is that the road user charge does not impact on state funding; all it does is impact on Commonwealth funding, so it does not actually provide any pressure whatsoever on state governments to move towards the adoption of uniform laws. Already there has been substantial progress made between the Commonwealth and the state and territory governments through the Australian Transport Council towards that objective. That is why we will be meeting in Adelaide for the fourth time since February: to make sure that that agenda is progressed. But it is no good putting up amendments that are meant to achieve an objective that simply cannot be achieved, and that is the problem with that amendment.
The problem with the amendment about Infrastructure Australia auditing the construction of heavy vehicle rest stops is that it confuses completely the role of Infrastructure Australia. That is not its role. It does not have people out there auditing whether rest stops have been built or not. The idea that Sir Rod Eddington, as the Chair of Infrastructure Australia, is going to be going around counting the number of rest stops and conducting an audit is an extraordinary distraction from what the job of Infrastructure Australia is.
Rest stops are important. That is why this government has put them on the agenda. The inadequate number of rest stops for heavy vehicles is not something that has been created since 24 November 2007. It has not just arisen. In relation to the appropriate number of rest stops, the guidelines have not been adopted by the Australian Transport Council. They were never adopted under the previous government. They have not been adopted yet. This government agree that there is a need to address the issue of rest stops. That is what we have done. That is why we have said that $70 million over the forward estimates will be available for taking action on rest stops. It is of course expected that that would produce much more than $70 million worth of outcomes, because there would be negotiations and discussions with state and territory governments about that issue.
I think the clauses that have been suggested and put forward by the opposition do not achieve the objective that the shadow minister has outlined. And there is the extraordinary proposition that many of these measures were not undertaken when the shadow minister was the actual minister two years ago—not undertaken by him, his predecessor or his successor. So it is a bit rich, frankly, to hear the position that has been outlined by the shadow minister.
With regard to the calculation of costs to be recovered and the suggestion about road user charge future indexation (Extension of time granted) the fact is that the proposition advanced in this legislation does not conclude the discussion about what the regulations should contain for the future. That would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. So I say to the shadow minister, in good faith: this does not conclude that debate. This parliament would have to consider the nature and detail of the regulation. As the minister, and as any minister would be, I am certainly committed to ensuring there is proper consultation with industry about the nature of that regulation.
So let us not have this used as an excuse to oppose this legislation, because it should not be. Essentially, I say to the shadow minister: that is a debate which is not concluded by the carriage of this legislation. All that is concluded by the carriage of this legislation is the process of increasing the road user charge in accordance with the determination begun by the former government and a political commitment arising from that, which was not there from the former government, to allocate $70 million for the safety and productivity package. I do not argue that $70 million will satisfy over the long term all of the needs of the industry for heavy vehicle rest stops. I do not argue that. I argue that this is $70 million specifically on top of the process that currently exists and existed under the former government, whereby rest stops were built into some of the AusLink funding and road funding agreements between the Commonwealth and the states. This is additional funding specifically for that purpose, and it should be supported by the opposition. I commend the bill to the House. I encourage the opposition to engage in constructive discussion to ensure that this bill is carried by both houses of parliament.
I would like to respond briefly to some of the minister's comments. Firstly, I acknowledge that Infrastructure Australia has a range of functions, but amongst its specific objectives is the auditing of infrastructure. So it will in fact be auditing roads, rail, ports and all sorts of other things that come under the definition of infrastructure. If in fact it is necessary for Sir Rod to count the number of potholes—which I am sure he will not actually be physically doing—then it ought to be equally necessary for him to count the number of rest stops. In reality, in practice, what will happen is that he will receive advice, he will check that advice and Infrastructure Australia, by in fact auditing the program in relation to roadside rest areas, will just carry out the same kinds of functions that it is doing and which are a clear part of its charter.
I would also argue that a national network of roads stops is in fact an important piece of national infrastructure. Clearly, therefore, it sits squarely within the charter of Infrastructure Australia to make sure that our nation's infrastructure is relevant and appropriate to our needs. I think it is the kind of thing that Infrastructure Australia was designed to do and therefore it is an appropriate body to undertake this kind of audit. If that is the only sticking point in the amendments, I am sure we can talk about it, but it does seem to me as though Infrastructure Australia is a body well placed to undertake an audit of that nature.
The question of providing rest areas—how many have been provided in the past and how many will need to be provided in the future—is of course greatly affected by the fact that we now have, in several states and shortly in all states but one, a new fatigue management system which requires trucks to stop more often and which makes it an offence in some states to go past a truck stop, even if it is full. So the provision of rest areas has become more urgent because of the introduction of the fatigue management system. Indeed, as I have said a couple of times in this debate, I think there is actually something a bit odd in the chronology when we pass the laws first and then build the necessary rest areas afterwards. It is pretty unreasonable to ask a truckie to stop at a rest area that does not exist. The Commonwealth and the states have an obligation to do much better in that area.
The next comment I would like to make is in relation to the minister's views that this does not put pressure on the states because all the money, from both the registrations bill, which we have passed, and this one, ultimately goes to the states. I acknowledge that, but it does place some pressure on the COAG process, and particularly on the federal government to deliver on its promise that it would be able to negotiate—and deliver results—with the states. So it is appropriate that there be pressure placed on the federal government to deliver in this regard. I do not have the capacity in the parliament to move amendments that would impose requirements on the states. If I could I would, in this regard. I can only advocate measures that affect the federal parliament and the federal government, and that is what I am doing.
The minister is also correct to say that the legislation does not end the debate. There will still have to be regulations coming into the House to set future registration fees and the road user charge. I acknowledge that that process is still ahead of us but this bill sets the parameters for those regulations, and it is not possible for us to allow the passage of a bill that includes parameters that we find objectionable—including the provision that indexation of the excise would be one of the things that could be considered in the regulations. That is the reason we are seeking to amend the bill to take that provision out and to insert a range of other provisions about the way in which the negotiations and the setting of the charge would be undertaken.
I will address the two issues of a substantive nature that the shadow minister, the member for Wide Bay, just raised. On the issue of Infrastructure Australia, he raised an analogy with the consideration of other roads. Can I say that Infrastructure Australia will also not be doing audits of traffic lights and where they are required or audits of roundabouts and other safety provisions. That is not to say that they are not important. They are important, just as rest stops are important, but it is absolutely critical that Infrastructure Australia not be distracted from its work on nationally significant infrastructure. I have gone out of my way to make this clear. I am sure, for example, that an audit of Infrastructure Australia would show that they have received, amongst the hundreds of submissions, issues that should, quite rightly, be considered by local governments, state governments, my department or other departments, but which are not considered to be nationally significant infrastructure.
That is understandable, given that the Infrastructure Australia process is new and that the legislation to create Infrastructure Australia was introduced and carried just this year. I sincerely hope that over a period of time both sides of parliament agree that the Infrastructure Australia agenda, as a foundation for nation-building infrastructure, is critical, and on that basis that Infrastructure Australia should not be distracted by other issues and tasks which, whilst important, are more appropriately dealt with by other bodies. Infrastructure Australia will deal with the demand that there has been, particularly from the private sector and the business community, for the coordination of nationally significant infrastructure. So I say to the shadow minister that that is not appropriate in the amendments that have been moved.
The second issue is the regulation that is provided for in this legislation. The problem I have with the shadow minister's approach is that he says that it is foreshadowed that the regulation will be available to the government for introduction because of this legislation. Of course, as a former transport minister he would know that that could be done separately in terms of a regulation. It could be put forward, in the normal process of policy and legislative development, at another time. But it is also the case, I think, that the shadow minister is suggesting that somehow, in carrying the legislation as it has been framed with the reference to a regulation, that is the conclusion of the debate. I say to him that it is not. If his problem is with the word 'indexation' appearing then perhaps that is something that could be adjusted in another place.
Because this does not conclude the debate on what will be in the regulation and what will not, it does not really matter all that much, in substance and in outcome, what the precise wording of that particular section of the bill is—because the regulation will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny at a future time. So I respectfully inform the shadow minister again that we will be voting against these amendments but that our non-support for the amendments should not be an excuse to oppose the legislation, which does nothing more and nothing less than ensure that heavy vehicles pay their way—a position that both sides of this parliament say they support, and which the heavy vehicle industry itself says it supports.
Question put:
That the amendments (Mr Truss's) be agreed to.
The the bill be agreed to.
Bill agreed to.


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This name was in version 1 of The Plant List, record gcc-16783.


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