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Roby D'Ottavi

Roby D'Ottavi

Roby D'Ottavi is a writer/director based in Melbourne. He is the creator of the Twitter page, Le Cinéphiles.

A recent poll by market research firm Mintel found that 47 per cent of men aged between 18 and 34 in the UK had used a dating website or app in the year to December, compared with 25 per cent of women of the same age.

First dates are now like a job interview for who wants to see you naked

How many times is one supposed to mention that you have three siblings? But there’s a way to change the intensity and find some magic.

  • Roby D'Ottavi

Latest

Texting paralysis.

I avoided responding to a text for two weeks and now it’s driving me insane

How long is too long to reply to a text? My cousin asked me a simple question but for some reason I can’t answer it.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
Woman tourist posing at Eiffel Tower, Paris in beret.

Parisians shattered my stereotype about them. How typically rude

We’ve become used to the reputation of the French as “Italians in a bad mood”. But on a recent visit, I found a whole new spirit emerging.

  • Roby D'Ottavi

My wrong-sized shoes and the perverse problem with online shopping

Our increasingly confusing and impersonal retail culture seems to have caused customers to lose their minds.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
What’s wrong with a little bit of quiet?

Have you ever been shushed? It’s humiliating and now I know why

The dinner with my family and girlfriend was going perfectly, and then a few stern words from the waiter ruined everything.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
The north v south debate is ever a matter of contention in Melbourne.

I used to think the north v south rivalry was silly. But I reckon there’s a winner

When I first arrived in Melbourne, I thought the south of the river v north of the river rivalry was ridiculous. But I went along with it because I wanted to be in on the joke.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
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Spite has long motivated Larry David’s character on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but it’s not a healthy way to view the world.

I’m a collector of petty grievances. Now I’m giving them away

The idea of wanting to “stick it” to someone has pushed me to accomplish wild feats. And yet I can see that too much of it is making me into someone I don’t want to be.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
Crocodile Dundee and The Dry 2: Forces of Nature

Aussie movies used to be fun. A teen hit proves we still have it in us

A recent smash hit Australian film has shown how we can rekindle the successful 1980s and ’90s era of Crocodile Dundee, Mad Max 2 and Muriel’s Wedding.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
Some vapers seem to suffer under the delusion they look cool. In fact, they look like tools.

Dear fellow 20-somethings, you do not look cool vaping, you look like a tool

Hipster cafe inhalers and beer garden puffers: don’t pretend to yourself you’re doing something sophisticated. You’re dining out on toxic lolly mist.

  • Roby D'Ottavi
Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 in California, US, in 2023.

I don’t care if you think wrestling is fake. The WWE’s storytelling is insane

Australia’s about to host its biggest WWE event ever – Elimination Chamber at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday – and I, for one, welcome our new wrestling overlords.

  • Roby D'Ottavi