The dictionary definition of the term “bodice ripper” is: “a novel, on a historical subject, that involves some sex and violence”. Well, now the television equivalent is ripping its way into your lounge room in the form of Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton. Think Emma meets Gossip Girl and you’ve got a pretty good idea where…
Magnificent. Unquestionably, one of the most memorable shows you will ever see. Come From Away has retained all the humour, warmth and poignancy from when it first exploded onto the stage at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre in the middle of 2019. It has lost none of its ability to captivate an audience and hold each member spellbound. You laugh,…
A story of aspiration and achievement, the documentary Dawn Raid is a ripper. Dawn Raid Entertainment became an institution in New Zealand in the late ‘90s and noughties. Co-founded by a couple of young big guys from South Auckland who met at business school – but only completed about a year – and didn’t have…
While the translation of films for the stage has become routine, screen-to-stage musicals can be troublesome, especially when the source material is not a musical in and of itself. In the case of Shrek The Musical, however, the stage show has everything that made the movie fun and then some. Through David Lindsay-Abaire’s book and…
A by-the-numbers revenge thriller, The Marksman centres around a Mexican cartel taking retribution against the family of a man who stole from them. That man – Uncle Carlos (Alfredo Quiroz) – knows he’s toast. With the cartel on his tail, he puts in a hurried call to his niece Rosa (Teresa Ruiz), telling her to…
Only The Animals surprised me. This remarkably well-constructed French mystery-thriller is three stories in one. Alice Farange (Laure Calamy) is in a loveless marriage in rural France. She’s having an affair with a strange loner named Joseph Bonnefille (Damien Bonnard), who barely tolerates her. Then Bonnefille seemingly callously ditches her giving no reason. There’s a…
This uplifting feelgood drama is based on the true story of Sam Bloom (played here by Naomi Watts), a fun loving and active mother of three boys who was left paralysed following an accident during a holiday in Thailand. Unable to feel anything from the waist down and stuck in a wheelchair Sam descended into…
– Long Story Short – Only in cinemas from 11 February 2021 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to StudioCanal Australia. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Serial procrastinator Teddy (RAFE SPALL) thinks he has all the time in the world, but after an odd encounter with a stranger (NONI…
– Love, Weddings & Other Disasters – Only in cinemas from 11 February 2021 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Rialto Distribution. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Love, Weddings & Other Disasters is a multi-story romantic comedy about the people who work…
Can plants talk? Some scientific research suggests they are sentient. A humorous new work by Karla Livingstone-Pardy and Zachary Sheridan (who are the writers and directors) takes this concept quite a few fanciful steps further. It concerns a young woman named Anne (Julia Kok) who was abandoned by her parents when she was a child in the…
