Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 2 April 2021. Bell Orchestre return with their first full-length album in over a decade: House Music — an immersive ecosystem created by the acclaimed Montreal-based outfit, which include Arcade Fire’s Sarah Neufeld and Richard Reed Parry. House Music…
A lightning-fast wit, smart one liners and political incorrectness distinguish my pick at the 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The 50-minute set is crammed full of contemporary references and personal stories. No subject is off limits and Shafar makes that clear from close to the get go, when he starts talking about his second battle with…
I felt uncomfortable about reviewing WandaVision while episodes were still dropping on Disney +. The series was so, well… unexpected, that I didn’t think I could grasp it until it was finished. Now it is finished, I’m still not 100% sure I’ve “got it” fully. If you’ve spent time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the…
The Cuban Missile Crisis looms in the tense spy thriller The Courier. Based on fact, it tells the story of America’s most valuable source of information about Russia during this tumultuous period. With nuclear war a real possibility, a high stakes cat-and-mouse game plays out. Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) is a high-ranking Russian official. But…
The Father showcases the horrors of dementia with standout performances by its lead actors. First-time director Florian Zeller adapts his own stage play with limited settings and cast, but powerfully wrenches at the heart with the psychological turmoil felt by the eponymous character Anthony. Anthony, played by his namesake Anthony Hopkins, has lived in his…
Come from Away opened in Brisbane this week to rapturous standing ovations. This unique production tells the true stories of the people of Gander, Newfoundland (CA) and some of the passengers of the 38 planes that were diverted there during the day of September 11, 2001. As the small town’s population more than doubled with…
Lake Street Dive have carved out a unique place on the current musical landscape rooted in time honored pop music songcraft informed by classic R&B, with just the right dash of dance floor funk, delivered in jazzy arrangements that push the soulful lead vocals of Rachel Price to the fore. Formed by a quartet of…
Hyper-violent action, humour, and a ripping soundtrack await those that venture to see Nobody. This is undoubtedly one of this year’s biggest surprise packets. “Nobody” sure becomes somebody – somebody to be reckoned with. Bob Odenkirk is Hutch Mansell, a seemingly mild-mannered husband and father whose life is drab and routine. Nothing to see here….
Truth or lie? That is the question at the centre of a fun-filled night at the Brunswick Ballroom featuring a number of highly regarded showbiz-types, drawn from comedy, television, film and music. They are divided into two teams of three, with the “players” varying from show to show. The night I attended, there was Emily Taheny, Mike…
The popular cartoon characters Tom and Jerry were created by Hanna-Barbera in 1940 and featured in some 161 short animation films between 1940 and 1958. The pair and their hijinks also became a staple of Merrie Melodies and Saturday afternoon matinees. A previous attempt to bring the characters to life on the big screen in…
