Based on the groundbreaking British documentary series 7-up, A Man With Five Children tells the story of a documentary maker who follows the lives of five people from childhood through to their adult years. The play, by the acclaimed writer Nick Enright, was first seen by Sydney audiences in 2002, a time when reality TV…
2011’s comedy A Few Best Men was a surprise hit with audiences, although it was largely dismissed by critics. And now we get this largely unnecessary sequel that no-one really asked for. This sequel to A Few Best Men takes up immediately where the first film left off. The straight-laced David Locking (Xavier Samuel) has…
Phil Elverum, the creative force behind Mount Eerie, has been a defining figure in experimental indie music for over two decades. Starting with the Microphones, he gained recognition for his introspective and atmospheric soundscapes, especially on albums like The Glow Pt. 2. In 2003, he began recording as Mount Eerie, adopting a more meditative perspective….
Are you an adventurous moviegoer? Did you go to Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and think, “yeah, but it could be a bit weirder”? If so, my friend, then you need to seek out Biosphere; Mel Eslyn’s quirky but provocative film about the end of the world (or is it?). As the title suggests, Biosphere…
Toys run amok, killing and maiming, in director Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s. Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is a troubled soul. A shopping centre security guard, his massively aggressive treatment of the father of a young son sees him fired and looking for a new job. At that stage, we – the audience – don’t…
Exploitation and heartache are at the centre of Indivisible, a gritty story about attractive, singing 18-year-old conjoined twins. Connected at the hip, Daisy (Marianna Fontana) and Viola (Angela Fontana) are gifted. They have beautiful voices and often sing at local weddings, family functions and communions. Their father, a seedy, small-time businessman, has turned them into an…
Mark Hartley is a filmmaker whose specialty is the rather niche world of Ozploitation. His latest film, Girl at the Window, is in a similar vein. Troubled teenager Amy’s (Ella Newton) father died when he fell down a disused mine shaft two years ago. She was nearby when it happened, and blames herself. She’s still…
If you’re looking for a book that entertains and is thought-provoking at the same time, The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood has that wrapped up in a bright red package. Here’s the blurb: Miss Ona Vitkus has – aside from three months in the summer of 1914 – lived unobtrusively, her secrets fiercely protected. The boy,…
Can lightning strike twice? Well, “yes” according to playwright Lachlan Philpott whose work was inspired by real life events. Colder concerns the disappearance of David in Disneyland at age seven and then again in a different place 26 years later. On the first occasion, he reappears after seven frantic hours. The second time, he does…
A compelling and dramatic storyline and evocative score are matched by a series of stellar performances in MTC’s musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. The plot concerns the extraction of information through brutalisation and humiliation of prisoners held in an Argentine jail. More specifically, it involves the relationship between window dresser Molina (Ainsley Melham) and Marxist…
