Chimerica, is a three hour (plus interval) play of epic scale, written by Lucy Kirkwood, that premiered at the Almeida Theatre, in London, in 2013. The play is epic in length, epic in production values, epic in cast, and best of all, epic in ideas. On a virtually empty stage, with the action of a…
Can artificial intelligence develop from an increasingly valuable tool for business and personal use to a destructive force that will wipe out the human race? Unfortunately, this question appears no longer to be purely in the realm of science fiction. It is increasingly being debated and speculated about. The doomsdayers are convinced the threat of…
Stunning. That word best sums up The Australian Ballet’s reinvention of Anne Woolliams’ acclaimed 1977 production of the world’s most famous ballet, Swan Lake. The tragically beautiful story with instantly recognisable score remains an audience favourite and the centrepiece and shining light of many companies’ repertoire. Swan Lake is magnificent, majestic and mesmerising. Dancer, ballet mistress, teacher,…
Post 9-11 it’s hard to think that there hasn’t been speculation about the next shock and awe campaign. I bet nobody thought there’d be an Australian, rough and tumble ex-commercial pilot, come spy at the centre of it all. The theory that Michael McGuire proposes in his thriller Flight Risk is, however, just believable enough…
Anyone who has ever had a newborn in the house will immediately relate to Jason Reitman’s Tully. This funny, affecting film delivers a compelling tale of motherhood in the 21st Century. Of course, it also marks the reunion of Reitman with Diablo Cody. It’s now 11 years since their breakout hit Juno, and their only…
What a special show: the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at its glorious best and four popular and talented singers in fine voice showcasing the incomparable Billy Joel. The sound is magnificent. The experience unforgettable. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s catalogue is remarkable. Thirty-three top 40 hits in the US. Record sales exceeding 160 million…
Some names need no introduction. And when it comes to the world of fashion, Pierre Cardin is one of those. But what’s behind the name motivates filmmakers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes in their documentary The House of Cardin. This reverential doco sources both archival footage and contemporary interviews, including with Cardin himself (he…
Prolific historian Dan Jones has turned his deep knowledge to provide the basis of a fictional account of the start of the hundred years war in Essex Dogs. The book is the first of a planned trilogy about a group of scrappy fighters caught up in the wars between the British and the French, a…
I am really sorry to have to say that I have just seen another Australian movie which is absolutely ghastly, in the form of Red Billabong. Nick Marshall (Dan Ewing from Home and Away) and his estranged brother Tristan (Tim Pocock) are drawn into a world of secrets and lies when their grandfather’s enormous outback…
Inspired by events in his life, Miles Ahead is an impressionistic, no-holds barred portrait of one of 20th century music’s creative geniuses, Miles Davis. Working from a script he co-wrote with Steven Baigelman, Don Cheadle, who also stars as Davis, makes his directorial debut. In the midst of a dazzling and prolific career at the…
