John Krasinski – that all-round good guy from The Office (US) – never struck me as an action hero. But somehow he makes it work in Amazon Prime’s spy drama Jack Ryan (or to give it its full title: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan). Remember, this is a character that’s been played by Alec Baldwin (in…
Australia: The Lucky Country. And through the eyes of a teenage, orphaned girl in Singapore, it represents her dream, her hope for a better life and an escape from the emotional shackles that the death of her mother has dealt her. Although inspired by the early years of its writer Merlynn Tong, Golden Blood is…
What a clever idea. Take a huge musical figure and add an element of intrigue to captivate an audience in a period thriller. In writer-director John Stephenson’s Interlude in Prague, that figure is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Aneurin Barnard). The year is 1787. Mozart – usually based in Vienna – is still recovering from the death…
Three superb performances highlight Lamb. This sensitive theatrical work combines word and song, and focuses on the hardships of a family born of the land. Lamb concentrates on two generations. The first act starts with the mother’s funeral. The younger of two daughters, Annie (Brigid Gallacher) – a professional singer – has arrived home after…
Joanna Murray-Smith’s remarkable insight, attention to detail and writing prowess are front and centre in a captivating production of Berlin at The MC Showroom. Australian Tom (Lachlan Hamill) has just landed in the German capital, keen to get to know the real city, not the tourist offering. He’s directed to a small watering hole, where he meets…
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical begins with a ‘Sunshine State of Mind’ Porpoise Spit burst of hyper colour and brashly bright lighting that sets the tone for the joy of its satirical stage experience. What follows is an explosion of high energy, full of colour and movement to brighten any adult day. The affectionate stage realisation…
Two films in double quick time that cover the life and times of notorious mobsters – first I saw Legend, which dealt with the English gangsters the Kray twins and now this about American standover man James “Whitey” Bulger. What they have in common is that their central characters appeared to revel in inflicting pain,…
Far From Men is set in Algeria in 1954, a time of great unrest and violence as the war for independence from the French is beginning. Daru (played by Viggo Mortensen, from Eastern Promises) is a school teacher in a remote village. But he is charged with the task of escorting the dissident Mohamed (played…
The music world is littered with tragic stories of popular singers and their downfall – from Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Most of these stories follow a similar trajectory – a rise to fame at a young age which they struggle to handle, and a descent into…
– Up for Love – Only in cinemas from 1 December 2016 We have 3 double in-season passes thanks to Icon Film Distribution. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE When successful lawyer, Diane (Virginie Efira) gets a call from the man who has found her mobile phone, she is immediately intrigued and…
