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Alex First

Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.

Guns Akimbo – movie review

At a time when millions of people around the world are streaming e-sports content every day, it’s not hard to imagine a possible future with the blood-sport insanity of Jason Lei Howden’s Guns Akimbo. Nerdy video game developer Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) is a little too fond of stirring things up on the internet with his…

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Military Wives – movie review

Imagine you’re the partner or child of a soldier who’s sent off to war. How would you feel? Military Wives is inspired by the true story of a group of women in that situation. In this case, their partners were deployed in Afghanistan. Kate (Kristin Scott-Thomas) and Lisa (Sharon Horgan), are in a power struggle….

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Citizen K – movie review

Hero or villain? Murderer? Campaigner for a democratic Russia? These are just some of the triggers in Citizen K, a fascinating documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He was once Russia’s richest man (head of the oil giant Yukos) but now lives in exile In London. As you can imagine, Russian president Vladimir Putin features prominently. This…

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Slut (The Burrow) – theatre review

Promiscuity to hide the pain. That – in a nutshell – is the short life and times of Lolita, as evocatively captured by Patricia Cornelius in Slut. We chart her childhood, mainly through three frenemies (Michaela Bedel, Lauren Mass and Jessica Tanner) – girls who grew up with her, befriended her and then dissed her. They excitedly…

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Honeyland

A look at a way of life that’s all but gone, Honeyland focuses on a pragmatic and resilient woman who faces an unexpected challenge. Nestled in an isolated mountain region deep within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova – a woman who has never married and is in her mid 50s – lives with her ailing 85-year-old…

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Dark Waters – movie review

White hot rage built in me the longer Todd Haynes’ latest film, Dark Waters, went on. This is a shocking story of corporate greed at the expense of humanity. It’s a slow burn. Nothing happens quickly. Obstacle after obstacle is put in the way of full disclosure and redress. The film has much in common…

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The Way Back – movie review

It may follow the playbook, but The Way Back still grips tightly. Back in high school, Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) had everything going for him. A basketball phenomenon, he could have punched his ticket to college or even the pros. Instead, he chose to walk away from the game, forfeiting his future. Jack’s glory days…

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