Is Liam Neeson becoming the new Charles Bronson, a staple of the routine, shoot-em-up vengeance vehicle? With films like Taken and its sequels, Neeson has become the action hero du jour, and he manages to acquit himself well in these testosterone heavy roles. He has a solid and dependable presence, and he always delivers the…
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the cinema, along comes another shark thriller in the form of The Shallows. Ever since Steven Spielberg gave us the summer blockbuster with Jaws in 1975, great white sharks have been given something of a bad reputation by Hollywood filmmakers. The success of Jaws…
Danish star Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt) virtually plays a lone hand in this grim tale of endurance and survival set in the frozen wastelands of the North Pole. Arctic recalls other survival dramas like All is Lost, in which Robert Redford played a lone role as a stranded sailor, or Cast Away with Tom Hanks…
The original animated version of Dumbo (Disney’s fourth feature film) came out in 1941. It’s now it has been re-imagined in live action form. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former circus star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins), to care for a very different newborn…
“Dead bodies usually mean something bad…” It’s 1945, towards the send of WWII. The German navy are even sinking hospital ships. When the film opens, a group of survivors from a sunken hospital ship are adrift somewhere in the North Atlantic. Tensions are high as they are desperately short of food and water. This motley…
What a superb visual and aural feast Walanbaa Yulu-Gi is and how it has metamorphosised since Burn the Floor first burst onto the scene 25 years ago. Featuring the incredibly talented First Nations’ performer Mitch Tambo, the production has no shortage of sizzle. The deft footwork … the singing … the showmanship is top shelf all the…
A dramatic comedy, Bed & Breakfast is a brilliantly written, outstandingly realised double hander with many parts. The work of Canadian playwright Mark Crawford, this marks its international premiere. Frankly, a work of this quality, containing such important subject matter, should be seen globally. The action takes place in Melbourne, Ballarat and in a smaller regional setting,…
Documentary filmmaker Steve Thomas has been interested in exploring the plight of refugees who have spent time in enforced detention after arriving on Australia’s shores by boat from war torn countries like Afghanistan or Iraq. His previous films include Hope, which followed Iraqi refugee Amal Basry, a survivor of the SIEV X disaster in which…
– Russian Resurrection Film Festival – Only in cinemas in November 2019 We have 5 double in-season passes. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* From big-budget action blockbusters, to razor sharp female-led comedy and edge-of-your seat thrillers, the Russian Resurrection Film Festival is proud to be returning down-under in 2019, bringing with it a smorgasbord of…
Critically acclaimed for good reason, this is a play that holds greatest appeal to theatre purists. Featuring four monologues and a running time that is a shade over two hours without interval, it is a drama that arrives at The Sumner after an award-winning season at the Belvoir in Sydney. It focuses on the life…
