Saturday, 19 August 2017

Opinion

Our View (10-01-2017): Disappointing delay

Tuesday, 10 January 2017 15:01

IT is disappointing the new Wallaroo swimming enclosure isn’t going to be ready for use anytime soon. Even more disappointing is to learn there could be extra delay due to sabotage.

The floating pontoon project was pushed forward after the May storms. There was a short public consultation period and councillors were required to make a decision quickly so the new enclosure could be up and running as soon as possible.

Initially, District Council of the Copper Coast expected it to be installed by the end of November. This was then pushed out to Christmas, then the end-of-the-year, then in time for January VacSwim lessons.

Anyone who has ever built a house knows the process is frustratingly slow. Builders very rarely reach the “handover” date originally set. Delays are inevitable and due to a range of factors out of the builder’s, or in this case the contractor’s, control such as availability of supplies and weather.

When there was late delivery of a part for the pontoons, it seemed the work wouldn’t be done in time for VacSwim swimming lessons, January 3-11. The VacSwim instructors have struggled with no real place from which to teach lessons and it has been a bit of a juggle.

Now, the installation date has been delayed further due to a police investigation and extra work to repair the severed pontoon ropes. Our current influx of tourists will not get to see, or use, the new swimming enclosure.

Hopefully, it will be ready in time for school swimming lessons during term one. If not, there’s always next summer!

Amie Price Editor

Entertain Us (10-01-2017): Picks at the box office

Tuesday, 10 January 2017 14:58

THE Country Times journalists share which 2017-release movies they are most looking forward to seeing.

Nick Perry - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

It appears to be slim pickings for film lovers in the coming months — that is unless you enjoy remakes and/or sequels of sequels. It certainly seems as though film producers are erring on the side of caution, rehashing proven ideas rather than aiming for originality. But, as is usually the case, I’m sure some of these films will exceed expectations and turn out well. And they will obviously perform at the box office, because if they didn’t there simply wouldn’t be a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean, nor an eighth (eighth!) The Fast and the Furious on the way. Of these sequels, I’m most looking forward to the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The first combined humour, action, adventure and a fantastic soundtrack to provide a much-needed lighter take on the ever-more-brooding superhero genre. The hilarious Chris Pratt is back, along with the rest of the key players from the original and hopefully we get a worthy follow-up. A third film is all but guaranteed so enjoy this one now before the inevitable diminishing returns of future instalments.

Fraser Ellis - Dunkirk

Difficult caper this, trying to predict which movies will be worth watching before they have been released. To help with the process I’ve considered three criteria essential to a good cinematographic experience — a great director, talented acting, and an interesting premise. Christopher Nolan is tabbed to direct Dunkirk, the same director who has led masterpieces like The Prestige, Inception and Interstellar. With one of the highest-grossing directors of all time set to lead the production, attention should now turn to the talent he will be directing. Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy will feature as big name actors accompanied by some younger, unproven leads to portray the youth who volunteered to fight. Finally, the plot, which centres around the aftermath of the Battle of Dunkirk and the necessary evacuation of allied troops from French shores. The evacuation would come to be known as the Miracle of Dunkirk and Winston Churchill would give his famous ‘we shall fight on the beaches’ speech the next day. Excellent director, talented acting and compelling plot — all signs point to an excellent movie. There is one caveat, One Directioner Harry Styles is involved in what could be the greatest miscast role of 2017.

Amie Price - Pitch Perfect 3

It’s time to get pitch-slapped again. Although I don’t really have time to go to the cinema these days, one movie I will probably make the effort to see in 2017 is Pitch Perfect 3. The original, released in 2012, was sidesplittingly funny; a sequel followed in 2015 and wasn’t as good but still worth the watch. “Lesbi-honest”, the storyline about a bunch of college kids contesting acapella singing competitions is pretty basic and you don’t have to concentrate too hard to follow what is happening. Therefore, the key to the movie franchise’s success has been its cast. Anna Kendrick plays the lead role of Beca well but the real hero is Fat Amy, played by Aussie gal Rebel Wilson. She has a wicked sense of humour, tells it like it is and embraces life. It’s great to see an Australian actress doing so well in Hollywood and I’m also a fan of anyone who does “horizontal running”, my kind of activity. Everyone loves a story in which the underdog triumphs and this is sure to happen again when Pitch Perfect 3 hits our screens just before Christmas.

Rhiannon Koch  - Beauty and the Beast

Honourable mentions — Justice League, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and La La Land (it was released on Boxing Day which basically makes it a 2017 movie). Disney’s latest foray into turning classic animation into live-action films will be released in March. There are 67 days until we will see Emma Watson as Belle on the silver screen, not that I’ve been counting or anything. That’s a lie, I’ve been looking forward to this for more than a year. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favourite Disney movie (suck it, Lion King), probably because the main character has brown hair and likes books. As a child, I might have felt some similarities, but I digress. The casting decisions have been excellent — Dan Stevens has been transformed into Prince Adam (the Beast) while my fictional best friend/aunt Emma Thompson will lend her voice to Mrs Potts. Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Ian McKellan and Ewan McGregor will also star. The staging and costuming looks excellent while a short clip of Watson singing released two weeks ago sounds pretty promising. Speaking of songs, my musical hero Alan Menken, who composed and scored the original with Howard Ashman, will return for this film and it will also include new tunes written by Menken and Tim Rice.

Our View (04-01-2017): Fantastic family event

Wednesday, 04 January 2017 15:01

THE Copper Coast New Year’s Eve Celebrations were a resounding success with a record crowd flocking to Wallaroo.

Our View (20-12-2016): Make Christmas count

Tuesday, 20 December 2016 14:39

I’VE lost count of the number of times I have heard or overheard during the past few weeks, “I’m off to town to do my Christmas shopping, and I am not looking forward to it”, or words with that sort of sentiment.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year

Tuesday, 20 December 2016 14:38

STAFF at the Yorke Peninsula Country Times wish all our readers a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Entertain Us (20-12-2016): What we’ve been watching

Tuesday, 20 December 2016 14:35

HOLIDAYS are perfect for spending time with family and friends, and binge watching as much television as possible. The end of the year has the YPCT journalists feeling in a reminiscent mood and we’ve decided to compile a list of our favourites from this year.

Our View (13-12-2016): New plans more than child’s play

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 13:42

THE plans for Victoria Square, Kadina, look fantastic. The potential inclusion of tyre swings, trampoline nets, balancing logs and cubby pods makes me want to be young again!

Entertain Us (13-12-2016): Top three songs of 2016

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 13:39

FOR this week’s Entertain Us column, the Yorke Peninsula Country Times journalists have named their top three songs from this year. Asteriks denote sons with coarse language.
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