Vivarium is a descent into madness. It did my head in. Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a happy couple. They’re considering buying a house together. One day they wander into a shop displaying cardboard models of the same perfectly manicured home. A strange real estate salesman – Martin (Jonathan Aris) – implores…
Future Man could be considered an updated and filthier version of the 80’s ‘nerd’ movies that were ploughed through back in the day when a trip to the local video shop would set you up for the entire weekend. Yes, Generation X, you will see here nods to loads of your childhood video games and…
Youthful anarchy is at the heart of Beats. This largely black-and-white film is set in a working-class Scottish town in 1994. The story takes place against the background of a British government proposal to ban amplified “beat” music at unlicensed raves. The film centres on the friendship between two teenagers who approach life very differently….
Sheerwater is an emotionally charged work of both hope and despair, beginnings and endings. Calling this book a thriller won’t be doing it a disservice, but it may give the expectation to the reader that they are about to dive into a work of suspense with no lingering take-homes to mull over. Sheerwater is a…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 10 April 2020. April was supposed to be when The Dandy Warhols went on the road to play a US tour. Instead, like so many of us, they find themselves bunkered down in isolation, beginning the journey of adjustment…
Fear is a powerful motivator. As we’re seeing at the moment, decisions based in fear can have profound effects. Writer-director Riley Stearns explores similarly dire consequences – along with the price of toxic masculinity – in The Art of Self-Defense. Mild-mannered Casey Davies (Jesse Eisenberg) lives alone with his dachshund and works as an accountant….
Mystery writer Peter Swanson has a knack for writing mystery novels which do exactly what they are supposed to do, which is to intrigue whilst entertaining. Rules for Perfect Murders is a bit of a love letter for crime fiction fans with all the right ingredients for an atmospheric session of mystery reading – a…
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…
So you’ve subscribed to last week’s 5 Australian podcast recommendations and you’re looking to listen to socially distance yourself with something different. You don’t want to lean in to the pandemic, you’d rather lie down in a dark room with your eyes shut and your ears fully immersed in all the bells and whistles of…
Jean Reno. The ever-calm actor is usually associated with roles such as a police detective, a gangster or an assassin. The quiet-looking Frenchman has a specific appearance that fits perfectly with such roles. Strange but true. I have only recently seen the film Léon: The Professional. Without a doubt the very best that Jean Reno…
