Bring It On!, The Musical (theatrical.), at the National Theatre – musical theatre review
Lively, colourful and energetic, Bring It On!, The Musical focuses on the competitive world of…
Pride & Prejudice (Queensland Theatre), at Playhouse – theatre review
The appetite for Jane Austen adaptations seems to be relentless. Of course, Pride and Prejudice is one of the evergreen favourites for many Austen fans, with several film, TV and stage adaptations having been produced over the years. Queensland Theatre had a sell-out season of their joyous, Matilda Award-winning production last year (the 250th anniversary…
Pretty Woman: The Musical, at the Regent Theatre – musical theatre review
There is so much joy in Pretty Woman: The Musical. I adore what the collaborators have done with the beloved story of the Hollywood sex worker and the wealthy businessman. It is based on the 1990 feel good romance, written by J. F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere….
Heartbreak Hotel, at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne – theatre review
Breaking up is hard to do. So it goes, as Karin McCracken and Simon Leary put on a most entertaining sketch comedy show, peppered with science and some musical numbers. In so doing, they unpack the angst associated with broken relationships. In character, she struggles big time to put the past in the past. It…
The Odyssey (M) – 172 minutes – movie review
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is an epic retelling of one of the oldest surviving works of ancient Greek literature. Homer composed the poem Odyssey in the 8th or 7th centuries BC. It concerns the exploits of the king of Ithaca, Odysseus (Matt Damon), as he attempts to make his way home many years after the…
Bring It On!, The Musical (theatrical.), at the National Theatre – musical theatre review
Lively, colourful and energetic, Bring It On!, The Musical focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading. Debuting in the US in 2011, the Tony award nominated musical was inspired by the 2000 film of the same name, written by Jessica Bendinger and starring Kirsten Dunst. The music is by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics…
Árru (part of the Nordic Film Festival) – 95 minutes – movie review
Beautifully shot in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi, the indigenous people of the Arctic, Árru is a slow burn, intense drama about deeply buried trauma. It concerns a family of reindeer herders whose ancestral land and livelihood is being threatened by a copper mining project. Single mother Maia (Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska) and…
Evil Dead Burn (R) – 110 minutes – movie review
This is one for stalwarts of the horror gore genre because it doesn’t hold back – in short, it is tense and traumatising. Demonic carnage is unleashed to terrorise a French woman who has married into an American family. Alice (Souheila Yacoub) is with her husband, restaurateur William (George Pullar), to celebrate Will’s younger brother,…
TYCHO! Beyond the Baton – 95 minutes – documentary review
From Hungarian child prodigy to feted Australian musical genius, Tommy Tycho led a stimulating and adventurous life, overcoming a series of setbacks. He is front and centre in a fascinating, illuminating and stimulating documentary, titled TYCHO! Beyond the Baton, written and directed by Stephan Wellink. Tommy was born into an upper middle-class family in Budapest…
The Last Resort, at the Nordic Film Festival – movie review
The global refugee crisis is brought into sharp focus in a tightly wound, suspenseful drama based around a family holiday. The attention is on Danish school teacher Mikkel (Esben Smed) and his workaholic health ministry official wife, Louise (Danica Curcic). They have taken their two young daughters, 11-year-old Sille (Sif Lucca Gersby) and Ella (Chili…
Smithsonian Starstruck (Fever), at Level 1, 206 Bourke Street, Melbourne – virtual reality review
With so many stars and planets in the universe, why is Earth the only one we know of so far that can support a preponderance of human life? That is a question answered categorically in the interactive and immersive virtual reality experience Smithsonian Starstruck. Developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts,…
