• It's a Ponderous Life: Fathers Day
    Sep 1 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode nineteen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world.


    Today I explain away the fact that there has been a significant delay between episodes due to the build up of illnesses I have suffered from in recent times, which may or may not be believed.

    Then I discuss Fathers Day in my world, and how the appreciation of the day changes as the kids get older, and my own father does the same but without dying on me.

    Finally, I give a quick discussion of two shows I watched during my fever ridden week off work, and whether they are worthy of your attention.


    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of "It's a Ponderous Life", right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    25 mins
  • It's a Ponderous Life: Twister vs Twisters
    Aug 15 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode seventeen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.

    It isn't often that a sequel is made and released some 28 years after the original first came to light, especially of a film that was hugely successful but also acted as a closed story from start to finish. However, that has come to pass, with the recent release of "Twisters" at the cinema, described as a stand-alone sequel to the 1996 film "Twister". On today’s episode, I’m going to go back in time once again, and relive with you my memories of that original film and how much I loved it at the time, and since. Then I will try and do the impossible, by giving you a review of the new film without giving away any spoilers, and talk about whether or not I believe it is a sequel or its own entity as a film.

    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    26 mins
  • It's a Ponderous Life: Does the World Need More “Beverly Hills Cop”?
    Aug 8 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode seventeen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.


    Netflix has just dropped the fourth Beverly Hills Cop subtitled Axel F, once again starring Eddie Murphy, some 30 years after the previous instalment in the series had been released. And the fact it took that long to come up with a script and the funding and the cast should possibly suggest whether or not there was a need or desire for it to come out. So, now that it has been released, is it worth the wait?

    On today’s episode, I’m going to go back in time and revisit all three previous movies. I’m going to watch them again and share my thoughts, from when I originally saw them and then from now. And I’ll watch the newest release, and give you my thoughts on that as well, and discuss whether or not it all fits together and, more importantly, is still entertaining enough to enjoy.


    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    47 mins
  • Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema - 2006
    Jul 11 2024

    Welcome back to a new episode of "Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema", the episodes of this podcast where Helen and Bill take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before.

    Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, all released in 2006. So why not tune in to hear what these two cinefiles think about:

    LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

    BABEL

    LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

    THE QUEEN

    THE DEPARTED

    That's the agenda on today's episode of "Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema", on the podcast where agreeing on anything is a full time commitment, Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • It's a Ponderous Life 16: Mel Brooks Turns 98
    Jul 3 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode sixteen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.


    Mel Brooks, the creator of some of the best comedic films and shows of the 20th century, turned 98 years of age this week. And what better way to celebrate that than to look back on his career and some of the most iconic moments that he has been involved in. Some of them you will all know, such as “Blazing Saddles” and “Spaceballs”, but what about those other great movies he has been involved in, as a writer or a producer or an actor… or all of those roles?

    On today’s episode I am going to talk about my favourites that Mel Brooks has gifted us over the years, and why I love them so much.


    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    55 mins
  • It's a Ponderous Life 15: How the F**k Does Julia Morris Get Nominated for a Gold Logie?
    Jun 25 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode fifteen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.


    As the title of this week’s episode suggests, I have a few problems with the recent announcement of the people who have been nominated for the Gold Logie at Australian TV’s ‘so-called’ night of nights, the Logie Awards. A couple of years ago I did an episode wondering why these awards still even exist. And on today’s program I will probably revisit some of those thoughts, as well as expanding on a few of the current ones.

    In amongst that are a couple of other quick items which I feel I should add, just for the general amusement of... myself.


    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    26 mins
  • It's a Ponderous Life: Kitchen Duty / Vivid Livid
    Jun 15 2024

    For your consideration, here is episode fourteen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.


    This week's rant comes in two parts.

    Firstly, I will regale you with the joys of the communal kitchen of the workplace, and how enjoyably frustrating it can be when no matter what cleaning and tidying is done, the same scene replays over and over each time you return for your next cup of coffee.

    Secondly, I muse on my own changing weaknesses when it comes to wanting to actually see what is happening in the outside world, and the madness that was on show with the crowds at Sydney's Vivid Festival.

    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    25 mins
  • It’s a Ponderous Life: A Weekly Snapshot
    May 29 2024

    A Weekly Snapshot


    For your consideration, here is episode thirteen of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it.


    This week I’ve had a little bit of a change, going down the track that I have some points to offer you, some things that have happened to me over the past week that I'm just going to discuss with you. They aren’t big worldly events as I've been doing over the last few episodes, or remembrances of my old days watching movies or the schoolyard or anything like that. And while I’m sure that those things will come back into vogue on episodes down the track, today it's just me talking about what I did in the last week - which may be of interest to you, or could well bore the crap out of you.

    But if you are interested in hearing about what I watched on TV this week with my daughter, the movie that I went to the cinemas to watch, what I'm cooking in the kitchen, or even what is coming out of my head at the moment, then why not stick around and check out what I've got to say.


    So please join me in my quest to get a few things off my chest, in another episodic enlightenment of “It's a Ponderous Life”, right here on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

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    27 mins