A ripping yarn and a grand adventure, The Personal History of David Copperfield delighted me. It highlights just how magnificent a writer Charles Dickens was. The movie (penned by Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, with direction from the former) re-imagines Dickens’ classic ode to perseverance through a largely comedic lens. Copperfield (Dev Patel) narrates his…
Not to be confused with the 1984 thriller that starred Drew Barrymore as a young girl who could start fires with her mind – Firestarter is a documentary that looks at Australia’s Bangarra Dance Company, one of the foremost indigenous dance companies in the world. The company was founded in Sydney in 1989 by Stephen…
A hip gangster has to get down and get dirty in Superfly. This stylish 21st century remake of the 1972 film of the same name comes from a man who’s noted for music videos for the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna. He goes by the name Director X (born Julien Lutz). When Director X…
He Who Drowned the World is the concluding volume in Australian fantasy author Shelley Parker-Chan’s epic Chinese-historical fantasy Radiant Emperor Duology. The first book of these, She Who Became The Sun, was a jaw-dropping debut which went on to make numerous award shortlists, including the Hugo Award,ugo Awar and won the 2022 British Fantasy Award….
The Wilds, which is the centrepiece of this year’s Rising cultural and artistic festival, is a sensory sensation that I would highly commend to you. You can readily complete a circuit around the “Bowl” in less than an hour. I chose to spend more time there, dwelling around certain installations and taking in the experience of the…
Australian theatre doesn’t get much rawer and stirring than Barbara and The Camp Dogs now playing at The Belvoir. For 90 minutes we were entertained by an excellent all-girl pub band, we shared a road trip to the country’s top end, and we bemoaned the shameful degradation of the indigenous population. There’s so much talent…
“Way to go Jennifer”. For me she’s the first one who succeeds in removing the yoke of the sitcom Friends and play a character that doesn’t remind you of that caricature appearance she played in it. Look at David Schwimmer in The Iceman and you see Ross with a totally wrong, fake moustache. Even Matthew…
When the name Ridley Scott is mentioned in reference to a new science fiction series, it’s a certainty that there will be droves of fans who need to check out what the legendary director has been spending his time on. Raised by Wolves, you may be completely unsurprised to discover, features Androids. With Earth decimated…
From relatively humble beginnings in 1956, when only seven nations competed, the Eurovision Song Contest has grown into a juggernaut of entertainment. There’s a great sense of anticipation before each year’s fresh competition, as TV audiences burgeon. Some 160 million people from more than 150 countries were involved in voting for their favourite artist this…
The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale – this snappy, fast-paced debut thriller hooked me in right from the outset and kept me on tenterhooks. Here’s the blurb: Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to be broken, broken-hearted and bent on revenge….
