The boys are back! Sure, the (nearly) 61 year-old Brad Pitt and the 63 year-old George Clooney hardly qualify as “boys” anymore, but their reunion in Jon Watts’ crime-caper Wolfs is still welcome. Their easy charm and almost telepathic on-screen chemistry elevate this amiable romp. I’m going out on a limb and suggest Watts (Spider-Man:…
The past few months have been a boom time if you’re into European – particularly French – cinema. And that trend continues with the engaging A Difficult Year. I mean, the idea of a comedy about anti-capitalist activism doesn’t sound like a winner, but writer-directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano manage to pretty much keep…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 20 September 2024. The multi-award-winning tenor saxophonist, bandleader and composer Nubya Garcia’s new album, Odyssey, is out now on Concord Jazz. Following her critically acclaimed debut album, SOURCE, Odyssey is a majestic feat that blends orchestral arrangements with R&B,…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 13 September 2024. Gia Ford has released her highly-anticipated debut album Transparent Things via Chrysalis Records. The album features the recent singles “Try Changing”, ”Poolside”, “Paint Me Like a Woman” and album track “Housewife Dreams of America”. Recorded in…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 6 September 2024. Beyond Beyond Beyond, the fifth studio record by The Crane Wives, explores the mixture of fear, joy, and deep vulnerability that occurs when a person is on the cusp of changing the course of their life….
Where have all the indies gone? The days when the likes of Steven Soderbergh or Hal Hartley were delivering idiosyncratic but exciting films seems a world away. With the rise of franchises and “sequel-itis”, a lot of American indie movies seem to have been squeezed out of cinema real estate. But occasionally one sneaks through,…
We seem to have been getting more European – specifically French – films in Australian cinemas recently. That might be a hangover from Hollywood’s troubles over the past year or two, but it provides an opportunity for more diverse offerings. And few films could be further from a Hollywood blockbuster than Catherine Breillat’s enigmatic Last…
The full programme for the 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival has been announced, with this year’s event featuring a stunning selection of box office hits and award-winning films plus family fun and anniversary celebrations. Sydney will be the first to experience la dolce vita from September 18 with Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Ballina,…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 30 August 2024. If Los Bitchos’ electrifying 2022 debut album Let the Festivities Begin! was the rowdy build up to the big night out, then Talkie Talkie is the Technicolor explosion of the dancefloor. From dynamic guitar riffs to…
Of all movie sub-genres, the music biopic seems particularly resistant to change. With perhaps a couple of exceptions, they all follow the same basic structure – humble beginnings, meteoric rise, success and inevitable decline (often with a dose of 12-step redemption). Midas Man – Joe Stephenson’s portrait of The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein – is…
