‘Raw-dogging' a flight? I can't think of anything worse
Stupidly selecting a seat right near the noisy galley and a crew of flight attendants who chatted all night, my only compensation for lack of sleep was the movie marathon.
I'd missed most of the Oscar contenders this year, so it was a treat to lie back and immerse myself in the best of filmmaking, even if the screen and sound weren't optimum.
The silver lining for me on every flight, particularly on those airlines with a good selection of movies, including art-house and international productions, is the entertainment.
If there's anything to look forward to on a long flight (apart from the destination at the end of it) it's the chance to hunker down and tune in to films I've missed during the year.
It's not really the way directors want us to see their work, but if I like a movie, I rewatch it afterwards on a larger screen.
Often, I've loved a film on the plane, only to really dislike it when on the ground – there's evidence flying heightens your emotions, skewing normal judgment.
I judge the length of flights by how many movies (and some TV series) I can squeeze in. The trip to Johannesburg from Sydney looked like it might be a five or six-movie flight.
I'd also brought along a thick book to read, Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz, who wrote Foyle's War for TV. (If you're looking for a brilliant writer, he's highly recommended, and there are eight of his crime novels to enjoy.)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Sam Claflin battled body dysmorphia
Sam Claflin suffered a form of body dysmorphia because of the "pressure" he felt to achieve the perfect Hollywood physique. The Hunger Games star admits he never saw himself as a "leading man" when he embarked on an acting career and he felt like he had to go to extremes to get in shape to fit in among his peers. He told The Telegraph newspaper: "I was always really short until I was 18, so I never thought of myself in any way as a leading man ... "I assumed I'd become a character actor. When I was cast in Pirates [Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides], I thought: 'What on earth am I doing here?' ... "There is this Hollywood assumption that it's the men with the six packs who sell the movie. So there was a pressure that that was what I needed to look like. "As a result, I developed a form of body dysmorphia. It wasn't quite an eating disorder, and I'm not blaming anyone but myself, but it was definitely because of the industry I'm in." Sam went on to insist he's become much better at talking about his feelings as he's grown up and he eventually realised he wanted to prioritise having a family over his Hollywood career. The actor - who has two children with his ex-wife Laura Haddock - added: "We're men and we are not allowed to talk about our feelings. "But I've got much better. These days, I'm definitely not afraid of speaking about how I feel. And I also realised I didn't want a career in Hollywood. I wanted to come home and become a dad." Sam previously admitted he pushed himself too far in a "desperate" to be nominated for an Oscar. He told GQ Hype: 'I went through a stage of desperately vying for an Oscar but doing things that were really not me. Physically, emotionally transforming myself. "[2018 film The Nightingale] was too far the other way. I think that was the turning point in my life. I don't think I could do that again.' However, Sam realised his acting career and vying for awards masked deeper issues. He said: 'One of the reasons I became an actor is that I always want people to like me. I think it's only recently dawned on me that I try so hard to make other people happy that I don't know who I am. "I'm from Norfolk [in the UK] but I've just adopted an accent that no one can really put a flag on. It's an amalgamation of other people's accents. Over time I'd sort of lost, I don't know … What makes me happy?"
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The ‘hated' Telstra ad went viral. Blame Mick Jagger, North Korea and footballers
When Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes sat down with Telstra 's creative team +61 and advertising agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, the Oscar-nominated directors were handed a commercial project with a 'very open brief'. Among other controversies – some yet to emerge – Australia's largest telco had just started paying $24 million in penalties and refunds after it was found to have wrongly charged customers for the third time in three years. Smith & Foulkes' job was to deliver, with London-based production house Riff Raff Films, a distinctive advertisement that would alert Australia to Telstra's refreshed brand ethos. 'The whole idea was that wherever our main character went, he went with ease, knowing he was in step with his duet partner (Telstra),' says Bear Meets Eagle On Fire founder Micah Walker. Seven months later, Smith & Foulkes presented their client with what would, less than a year on from its premiere, be publicly voted in July as Australia's most unforgettable advert. And most hated. As put by one punter on YouTube: 'My stepbrother was lying dead next to a footy stadium at half-time. This ad came on, and he woke from the dead just to run for the lives of his ears!' 'People engage in their own way, and we welcome that,' says Telstra's chief marketing officer Brent Smart. 'We've seen fans have different reactions based on whether their team is up or down. At the end of the day if people are having a bit of fun with it, we're OK with that.' Adverts drawing the ire of the masses is not unusual; just look at Sydney Sweeney's recent 'Great Jeans' campaign for American Eagle, which has devolved to accusations of the label 'leaning into eugenics'. Telstra's Duet, however, is a whimsical, visually spectacular journey through mystical forests, caves, the outback and beyond, set to the Bee Gees/Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton's mollifying Islands in the Stream. What could possibly be controversial about that?
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Actor Gary Busey pleads guilty to groping woman
Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to groping a woman at a New Jersey horror film convention. The 81-year-old actor admitted that he deliberately touched a woman inappropriately whilst posing with fans as he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct at a virtual court appearance on Thursday. The incident occurred at the Monster-Mania Con in August 2022 as Busey was accused of groping several women who filed reports with the police. The star was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree and one disorderly count of harassment. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will drop the remaining charges against Busey who faces between one to five years of probation and fines. He has also agreed not to contact the victim. Busey, who appeared distracted during the hearing and was scolded by judge Gwendolyn Blue for drinking from a soft drink can, will be sentenced on September 18. The actor's guilty plea comes after he initially claimed the woman had made up her accusation. Busey told TMZ in 2022: "None of that happened. "There were a partner, a camera lady, and me and two girls. It took less than 10 seconds, and then they left. Then, they made up this story that I assaulted them sexually - but I did not." It is not the first time that the Oscar-nominated actor has fallen foul of the law as he faced drug charges in 1995 following a near-fatal cocaine overdose. The star - who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1988 motorcycle accident - has previously been arrested on charges of spousal abuse and was also accused of sexual assault by a female employee when he took part in Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. Busey's son Luke previously recalled how the motorcycle accident completely changed his father's personality after he underwent brain surgery to recover from his serious injuries. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "At 17, I had to teach him with my mom to talk, to eat, to feed himself. To walk again. To write. That was very difficult for me at that age. The post-accident version of him turned his personality up to 11. I feel like I lost my dad on December 4, 1988." Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to groping a woman at a New Jersey horror film convention. The 81-year-old actor admitted that he deliberately touched a woman inappropriately whilst posing with fans as he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct at a virtual court appearance on Thursday. The incident occurred at the Monster-Mania Con in August 2022 as Busey was accused of groping several women who filed reports with the police. The star was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree and one disorderly count of harassment. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will drop the remaining charges against Busey who faces between one to five years of probation and fines. He has also agreed not to contact the victim. Busey, who appeared distracted during the hearing and was scolded by judge Gwendolyn Blue for drinking from a soft drink can, will be sentenced on September 18. The actor's guilty plea comes after he initially claimed the woman had made up her accusation. Busey told TMZ in 2022: "None of that happened. "There were a partner, a camera lady, and me and two girls. It took less than 10 seconds, and then they left. Then, they made up this story that I assaulted them sexually - but I did not." It is not the first time that the Oscar-nominated actor has fallen foul of the law as he faced drug charges in 1995 following a near-fatal cocaine overdose. The star - who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1988 motorcycle accident - has previously been arrested on charges of spousal abuse and was also accused of sexual assault by a female employee when he took part in Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. Busey's son Luke previously recalled how the motorcycle accident completely changed his father's personality after he underwent brain surgery to recover from his serious injuries. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "At 17, I had to teach him with my mom to talk, to eat, to feed himself. To walk again. To write. That was very difficult for me at that age. The post-accident version of him turned his personality up to 11. I feel like I lost my dad on December 4, 1988." Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to groping a woman at a New Jersey horror film convention. The 81-year-old actor admitted that he deliberately touched a woman inappropriately whilst posing with fans as he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct at a virtual court appearance on Thursday. The incident occurred at the Monster-Mania Con in August 2022 as Busey was accused of groping several women who filed reports with the police. The star was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree and one disorderly count of harassment. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will drop the remaining charges against Busey who faces between one to five years of probation and fines. He has also agreed not to contact the victim. Busey, who appeared distracted during the hearing and was scolded by judge Gwendolyn Blue for drinking from a soft drink can, will be sentenced on September 18. The actor's guilty plea comes after he initially claimed the woman had made up her accusation. Busey told TMZ in 2022: "None of that happened. "There were a partner, a camera lady, and me and two girls. It took less than 10 seconds, and then they left. Then, they made up this story that I assaulted them sexually - but I did not." It is not the first time that the Oscar-nominated actor has fallen foul of the law as he faced drug charges in 1995 following a near-fatal cocaine overdose. The star - who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1988 motorcycle accident - has previously been arrested on charges of spousal abuse and was also accused of sexual assault by a female employee when he took part in Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. Busey's son Luke previously recalled how the motorcycle accident completely changed his father's personality after he underwent brain surgery to recover from his serious injuries. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "At 17, I had to teach him with my mom to talk, to eat, to feed himself. To walk again. To write. That was very difficult for me at that age. The post-accident version of him turned his personality up to 11. I feel like I lost my dad on December 4, 1988." Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to groping a woman at a New Jersey horror film convention. The 81-year-old actor admitted that he deliberately touched a woman inappropriately whilst posing with fans as he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct at a virtual court appearance on Thursday. The incident occurred at the Monster-Mania Con in August 2022 as Busey was accused of groping several women who filed reports with the police. The star was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree and one disorderly count of harassment. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will drop the remaining charges against Busey who faces between one to five years of probation and fines. He has also agreed not to contact the victim. Busey, who appeared distracted during the hearing and was scolded by judge Gwendolyn Blue for drinking from a soft drink can, will be sentenced on September 18. The actor's guilty plea comes after he initially claimed the woman had made up her accusation. Busey told TMZ in 2022: "None of that happened. "There were a partner, a camera lady, and me and two girls. It took less than 10 seconds, and then they left. Then, they made up this story that I assaulted them sexually - but I did not." It is not the first time that the Oscar-nominated actor has fallen foul of the law as he faced drug charges in 1995 following a near-fatal cocaine overdose. The star - who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1988 motorcycle accident - has previously been arrested on charges of spousal abuse and was also accused of sexual assault by a female employee when he took part in Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. Busey's son Luke previously recalled how the motorcycle accident completely changed his father's personality after he underwent brain surgery to recover from his serious injuries. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "At 17, I had to teach him with my mom to talk, to eat, to feed himself. To walk again. To write. That was very difficult for me at that age. The post-accident version of him turned his personality up to 11. I feel like I lost my dad on December 4, 1988."
