Unquestionably one of the most talented singers on the planet (not to overlook her many other creative endeavours), it is hard to believe that Barbra Streisand turns 80 on 24th April. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and Live Nation thought it was only fitting that they put on a special tribute show to mark the occasion. They…
When Calexico’s primary members and writing team, Joey Burns and John Convertino convened at the home studio of their keyboard player Sergio Mendoza last summer it may have seemed unlikely that the rock press would be discussing an 18 year-old album track off their Feast of Wire album by the end of 2021. Turns out…
They’re living in a totalitarian State, where Big Brother is everywhere. There’s a 6pm curfew that must be met. Drones hover overhead, tanks roam the streets and “peacekeepers” ensure the law is obeyed. But there is a great deal of discontent and anger at being “caged”. One 16-year-old, Immy Marcus (Tsungirai Wachenuka), who feels the pain of her mother,…
Australian crime author Benjamin Stevenson delivered a great debut in Greenlight and followed that up with the murder mystery Either Side of Midnight. Both featured the flawed, true crime podcaster Jack Quick and centred around “impossible” murders that he has to solve. As well as having a fascinating lead character, these were both well-constructed mystery…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 15 April 2022. On her second full-length record, Head of Roses, Jenn Wasner – a.k.a. Flock of Dimes – follows a winding thread of intuition into the unknown and into healing, led by gut feelings and the near-spiritual experience…
Egyptian-born Akmal emigrated to Australia with his family when he was 11 years of age. From the roof of his 20-storey apartment building in Cairo he could see the pyramids and the sphinx. Imagine what it was like then when his parents took him to see the Big Banana in Queensland. That is just one of the…
English comedian Ross Noble can’t help himself. He opens his mouth and out tumbles gag after gag … based on the simplest of things. The whole show looks and feels improvised … and the belly laughs are plentiful. He appears in front of eight inflatable, lit up Russian babushka dolls of varying sizes (for which he apologies…
Multiverses are all the rage right now. From Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse to the upcoming Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, it seems like you can’t turn around without another multi-dimensional movie smacking you in the face. But Everything Everywhere All At Once is different. Yes, it’s another multiverse, but one the good folks…
The tense Holocaust drama Farewell, Mr Haffmann concerns a Jewish jeweller in France caught up in the maelstrom as the Nazis spread their tentacles. It is May 1941 and Joseph Haffmann (Daniel Auteuil) runs a small jewellery shop. He’s noted for his fine craftsmanship. Haffmann sees the situation in occupied Paris worsening and understands the…
In 1963, abortion was illegal in France. Happening is a harrowing tale about an intelligent student who unexpectedly falls pregnant but has to keep it a secret for fear of what could happen to her. Her name is Anne Duchesne (Anamaria Vartolomei) and she is 23. She hangs around with her gal pals, Brigitte (Louise…
