Booksmart (2019), directed by Olivia Wilde

Amy and Molly have been good girls all through school, putting the work in to get the results. And it has paid off; they will soon be off to study at Yale and Harvard. On the last day of school they realise that many of the hard-partying students they look down on have also gained entry to good colleges and they set out to make up for what they have missed out. As a tribute to female friendship Booksmart works well. As a teen comedy it is less successful, falling flat in a few places that are meant to be funny - such as the inversion of the creepy teacher trope. It’s as though the film tries too hard to be the next Bridesmaids, upping the profanity and gross-out factor to no real purpose. Kaitlyn Dever is very good as Amy. Beanie Feldstein is a little OTT in the less sympathetic role of Molly. Much has been made of this film as an undiscovered gem. Meh.

Maybe the Horse Will Talk, by Elliot Perlman

Stephen Maserov is a former teacher turned corporate lawyer, who is struggling in every aspect of life. The career change was meant to get his family ahead, but has only led to debt, fear and a marriage breakdown. He stumbles on an opportunity that could buy him some time in a precarious work situation, or could mean he loses everything. Does he have the chutzpah to go for it? Maybe the horse will talk. You don’t discover that this novel is set in Melbourne until around 60 pages in. This is likely quite deliberate as it could be set almost anywhere with a dehumanising corporate culture – New York, London, Hong Kong etcetera. It is reminiscent of the TV series Suits, with its power games, stupid working hours and business amorality. It is interesting that as Stephen gains autonomy the story setting becomes more and more Melbourne – streets, suburbs and pubs. A recurrent theme, which starts at the very first sentence, is that so many people are terrified of losing a job they hate – this is the world we live in. But the story gives hope that once we realise we are not alone in this feeling or in this world, there may be a way to make things better. This is Three Dollars on steroids; partly satire that teeters on the edge of farce – the law firm is called Freely Savage Carter Blanche - and partly polemic on sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and the toxic corporate culture that protects those in power. The story ends somewhat abruptly, leaving the reader wondering whether the horse will indeed talk.

Locke & Key (Netflix)

A strange blend of fantasy, gothic horror and teen romance, this 10-part series makes a slow build to something interesting and then a quick fade to something less so. Guidance counsellor Rendell Locke has been murdered by Sam, a disturbed student he tried to help. Nina Locke and her three children have fled the trauma in Seattle for Rendell’s hometown in Massachusetts to start over. The plan is to renovate the Key House – the old family home that Rendell left behind and told them little about. Younger son Bodie finds some old keys that call to him and start to unlock the door of his father’s dark past. The keys and their various powers are fascinating and well done, but the graphic violence can be a little much and sits oddly with the familiar high school tropes. The acting is patchy and some of the characters are inconsistent, with teenage daughter Kelsey the best of them. The need to spell out absolutely everything in flashbacks gets tedious by the last few episodes and underestimates the intelligence of the audience – it’s not that hard to figure out what has happened.

Words in Deep Blue, by Cath Crowley

Rachel is 18 and grieving. She has failed Year 12 after her brother drowned eight months ago and she can no longer bear the ocean, which she used to love. She moves back to the city, after three years away, to live with her aunt and try to get her life back on track. To do that she first has to reconnect with her friends, who don’t know her situation, especially her former best friend Henry. The action is set in and around a second hand bookshop owned by Henry’s divorcing parents that is also their family home. The chapters alternate between Rachel and Henry’s voices, which is fine to get each of their points of view on life and their friendship. Although, towards the end the repetition of events does get tedious. The book includes many letters to and from various characters that are tucked into the books in the bookshop’s library section of well-worn novels that have been annotated by many readers. This quirky conceit is interesting and integral to the plot, but is undermined by the choice of a script font for the letters, which is very hard on the eyes. It’s quite a moving tale of grief and friendship, but the romantic aspects are less credible and when it waxes poetic towards the end it risks disappearing up its own backside.

Reasons to be Cheerful, by Nina Stibbe

This odd little book resembles the Ian Dury song it is named for; it starts off as quirkily innocuous but creeps up and gets its hooks into you so that you can’t dislodge it. In Leicester 1980, 18-year-old Lizzie left school very early and has already burned through several jobs. She lives in the shadow of her overwhelming mother, a larger-than-life character who aspires to be a novelist. Lizzie finds her feet when she lands a job as a dental nurse and moves out of home to live in the flat above the practice. The dentist might be obnoxious, but she acquires some friends and even a boyfriend of sorts, although her mother manages to insert herself into this relationship. Reminiscent of Caitlin Moran’s Raised by Wolves, Reasons to be Cheerful paints a gently scathing picture of growing up in the early years of Thatcher’s Britain. Funny in a very understated way, some characters border on caricature but don’t quite topple over the line. At the centre of all is Lizzie, self-confessed weirdo who finds the strength after great sadness to strike out on her own.

Thymus Gin - Encounter Coast Spirits

This boutique distillery was opened in late 2015 at Hindmarsh Valley, just outside Victor Harbor. The handcrafted spirit is distilled in a copper still and infused with lavender and lemon thyme. It is delicious. Encounter Coast Spirits also makes vodka and several intriguing liqueurs, as well as a range of fruity vinegars, jams and chutneys. It is fantastic to see people with initiative producing top quality products that compete with the best in the world, such as the amazing spirits coming out of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. It is a pity however that their progress is impeded by an excessive excise of $40 per litre. This gobsmacking tax is a huge impediment to small businesses competing with the large commercial operators. It means that almost half the retail price of these top quality products goes in tax. When you consider that according to recent reports many major companies have made an art of tax avoidance it means the playing field is far from level. Gin lovers who would like to buy Australian but can’t afford these local boutique products should take heed and demand better. www.encountercoastspirits.com.au