There are movies I really could dwell on in a lyrical way. Because it’s put together cleverly and cunningly. Or because I could empathize with the characters. Or because the humorous content was taken up throughout the story in a professional way. Call me oversensitive or sentimental. But Me and Earl and The Dying Girl…
Weird and wacky Australian film noir, Burning Kiss is a psychedelic whodunnit in reverse. We know who committed the crime, but a disgraced former detective concocts a story to make himself look like a hero. It’s been six years since a hit-and-run incident put ex-cop Edmond Bloom (Richard Mellick) in a wheelchair and took the…
The director of this project, Matt Scholten, had found an artistic compatibility with actor, Noni Hazlehurst, while working on The Heretic for the Melbourne Theatre Company and, as their friendship developed, decided to work together again. The challenge that the actor wanted was that of a one person show. Together they approached the Melbourne writer,…
There are some writers who never do the same thing twice. Two books is probably not enough to say there is a pattern, but it was a surprise to find the follow up to Adam Oyebanji’s space opera debut Braking Day is a contemporary murder mystery with a bit of spy thriller thrown in for…
Melbourne has hosted the English-language debut of Madiba The Musical, after the show had previously opened in France, north Africa and the West Indies.It chronicles Nelson Mandela’s triumph-against-the-odds story. A forbidden love affair between a black man and a white woman provides a fictional parallel tale. The musical skips through much of Mandela’s historical backstory…
Garfield, the lazy, pizza- and lasagne-loving cat created by cartoonist Jim Davis 48 years ago has become part of pop culture. He has appeared in a daily comic strip published in some 2500 newspapers around the world and is the most syndicated comic strip in the world. He has also appeared in several books, animated…
The Little Things is definitely not the movie I was expecting from director John Lee Hancock. After all, when you’ve got The Blind Side, Saving Mr Banks and The Founder on your resume, you might feel a little typecast. But Hancock breaks the mould here with a gritty crime thriller. And more than that, he…
One of the pieces of advice often given to those looking to write their first novel is “write what you know”. Surgeon, public servant and art lover Michael Levitt has taken this advice to heart in his first novel The Gallerist. The Gallerist features a former doctor turned art gallery owner and a sometimes dangerous…
In this current golden age of television*, the dark comedy has really come into its own. “High-concept” shows that would never have flown on network TV get a chance on streaming. I, Zombie probably led the way for the current batch; but more recent series like Santa Clarita Diet demonstrate the format’s potential. Perhaps sensing…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 15 December 2023. Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire makes his Nonesuch Records debut with Owl Song. The album features a trio with two musicians Akinmusire has long admired, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley. “This is my reaction…
