Keep is about a young hoarder (Naomi, played by Jess Yates) and her sisters (Jane, Angie Glavas and Kara, Christina Walls), who are trying to intervene and force her to start cleaning her messy house as they reconnect with her. It is inevitable that old wounds are opened, notably the disappearance of another sister (Margo,…
Imagine a sensitive drag queen – a gay man – falling for a bisexual man who has trouble with commitment and you have the starting point for Torch Song. It is a shortened, two act reimagining of the four hour plus, three act play, Torch Song Trilogy, which won the Tony Award for Best Play in…
There was merriment aplenty at the Alex Theatre on the opening night of the Australian premiere of Around the World in 80 Days, the epic adventure adapted by Toby Hulse and based on the novel by Jules Verne. Directed by Terence O’Connell and starring Ian Stenlake, Pia Miranda and Grant Piro, the trio plays 39…
Midsommar is one of the most bizarre and perverse movies I’ve seen. The second feature film from writer and director Ari Aster (Hereditary), is a journey into the heart of darkness – a hallucinatory and disquieting fairy tale. During a getaway with academic mates to a bucolic Swedish village, American couple Dani (Florence Pugh) and…
Take an intergalactic blue hedgehog. Add a small-town sheriff and a never-ending battle with a maniacal villain. Then stir liberally and, believe it or not, you have the makings of a fun, if totally far-fetched, family film. With no expectations entering the cinema, I emerged thinking the filmmakers had thrown a little magic dust at…
Provocative. Intense. Disturbing. In Tinderbox you are up close and personal, witnessing the highs and lows (especially the latter) of a nine-month relationship between a pair of 20-somethings that unravels before your very eyes. Violence and mental torment, jealousy and hatred are the stock in trade. There is also tenderness and intimacy, flirtation and ecstasy,…
Lovers of classical ballet and dancing have been well served recently with a number of documentaries about famous choreographers and dancers, and there is the wonderful animated film Ballerina due to hit cinemas shortly. In the meantime we have this documentary about Ukraine-born ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, a prodigiously talented dancer who was at one…
Life throws up real challenges for the 17-year-old daughter of a split home in the UK who aspires to run her own florist business. The one person play by Emma Dennis Edwards, inspired by the true story of Tottenham community leader Gina Moffatt, is unflinching. It doesn’t hold back. In patterned jeans and striking green…
Among my favourite TV shows growing up were the household staple of comedies: Get Smart (1965-70), I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hogan’s Heroes (1965-71) – and Gilligan’s Island (1964-67). So with a great sense of excitement, I ventured into Chapel off Chapel to see my childhood memories revived in Gilligan’s Island: The Musical. I felt wary…
Marry Me is a slick but enjoyable rom-com starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Kat Valdez (JLo) and Bastian (Maluma) are superstars of song … and the hottest couple on the planet. Their social media presence is in the stratosphere and their megahit Marry Me is about to come true in front of 200 million…
