The life-changing influence of platonic female relationships rarely gets covered in fiction, and for this alone Seven Lies deserves a tip of the hat. It’s not a subject matter many writers have invested in and anyone who has ever been or spent time around a teenage girl would know that the connections young women make…
Grab your tuning forks, sequin vests and spirit fingers: the Barden Bellas are back to serenade us in Pitch Perfect 2. The clever followup to 2012’s runaway smash Pitch Perfect, this sequel reunites the core acapella afficionados for their senior college year after their win at the national titles. The troupe suffer a global fall…
Acclaimed actor Bert LaBonté makes his directorial debut with the Pulitzer Prize winning comedic drama Topdog/Underdog. It is a two-hander, involving African-American brothers. Lincoln (Damon Manns) has (temporarily) moved into his younger brother Booth’s (Ras-Samuel) small, rented apartment, which has no toilet or running water. That follows Link’s break up with his wife, Cookie (who…
Giggles from littlies and laughter and hand clapping from adults are what greet a strongly visual and athletic mime artist – the pianist – whose specialty is piano playing … although in his hour-long show he hardly tickles the ivories. Instead, he is intent on making a grand entrance, positioning himself and his sheet music…
The global refugee crisis is brought into sharp focus in a tightly wound, suspenseful drama based around a family holiday. The attention is on Danish school teacher Mikkel (Esben Smed) and his workaholic health ministry official wife, Louise (Danica Curcic). They have taken their two young daughters, 11-year-old Sille (Sif Lucca Gersby) and Ella (Chili…
Are you a couch potato? The kind of TV viewer who likes everything laid out neatly for you? If you said yes, then Dig is probably not for you. This US series from the producers behind Homeland is an almost literal labyrinth of a show. For a start, there are three apparently disparate storylines set…
Regular readers of The Blurb will be familiar with the film reviews of our friend and long-time contributor, John Bale. We’re sad to advise that John passed away this week in Melbourne after a long battle with illness. Through the years, John contributed close to 400 reviews for The Blurb. His last was the Jennifer…
One of the takeaways from Bare the Musical is that the Catholic Church has a lot to answer for. This heart-wrenching musical concerns life’s most intimate struggles with equality and fairness. At its core are a couple of seniors – Peter (Adam Di Martino) and Jason (Finn Alexander) – who attend a Catholic boarding school….
A couple of powerhouse performances are at the heart of this drama about a pair of gamblers, one of whom lays it all on the line. Mississippi Grind was inspired by films from the ‘70s such as Five Easy Pieces, Scarecrow, The Last Detail, California Split and Midnight Cowboy. The movie is about flawed characters…
– Hereditary – Only in cinemas from 7 June 2018 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to StudioCanal. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they…
