Regularly I’m asked to watch a low-budget film and to give my opinion about it. And once in a while, I’ll accept such a favour. But when someone asks me, to watch a horror movie every month, and then report on it, I can hardly refuse it. It’s a win-win situation. I’m simply a mega…
A great sense of fun and a rich array of talent are on show as Muriel’s Wedding The Musical hits town. Toni Collette endeared the socially awkward Muriel Heslop to Australia in PJ Hogan’s 1994 film, Muriel’s Wedding. Collette may have left big shoes to fill, but 23-year-old Natalie Abbott has stepped into them with…
The Van Apfel Girls are Gone by Felicity McLean hooked me in with its all-too-familiar north-west of Sydney 1990s setting and the missing girls premise reminiscent of Joan Lindsay’s classic Picnic at Hanging Rock. Here’s the blurb: Tikka Molloy was eleven and one-sixth years old during the long hot summer of 1992 – the summer…
What caused Osama bin Laden to become the most hated and hunted man on the planet? The controversial drama Bin Laden: The One Man Show asks that question about the once-feared al-Qaeda leader. It’s the work of UK’s Knaïve Theatre; specifically writer and performer Sam Redway and fellow writer and director Tyrrell Jones. Redway came…
British author E.L. James’ novel Fifty Shades of Grey “struck” a chord around the world, just as Christian Grey loved to “lash” Anastasia Steele. Featuring bondage and sadomasochism, it was translated into more than 50 languages and has sold well over 100 million copies. Of course, further books followed and then a film series. The…
Nicole Kidman is virtually unrecognisable for much of Destroyer. Her hair is dishevelled, and her face is blemished and hollow. Her eyes have no life in them and it’s difficult to make out what she’s saying. Talk about bleeding for your art. As a young detective, Erin Bell (Kidman) and her partner Chris (Sebastian Stan)…
The thing I like about the Limelight on Oxford is that the audience enters the theatre via the stage. Hence, we tread the same boards as the actors. It gives us an additional dimension from which to inhale the atmosphere of the production, besides ambience, lighting and comfort. So, we’re off to a good start…
Five years ago, an endlessly optimistic guy named Emmet rose to become The Special in The LEGO Movie. Overcoming his doubts and an apparent lack of any notable skills, this LEGO figure in a bright orange vest bravely followed his destiny. He became a Master Builder and – with the help of his friends –…
The sound of doorbells chiming is ringing across Brisbane, for as the advertising warned, the Mormons are coming! Far from the polite, mild-mannered suburban Mormons you may have encountered in your actual home, the tale of these missionaries will likely drop your jaw and curl your toes. And leave you in hysterics, of course. From…
Wrestling’s fake, right? It’s all stage-managed to draw the crowds. But it’s a very serious business for one family in Fighting with My Family. The Knights from Norwich in England are an odd bunch, and all of them wrestle. They’re Dad, “Rowdy” Ricky Knight (Nick Frost); mum Julia (Lena Headey); sons Roy (James Burrows) and…
