Kelly Rimmer’s Before I Let You Go hooked me with its story of two sisters and one impossible choice – it was one of those books that once you get to a certain point, you have to keep on reading. And it’s also one of those books that makes you think about what you would…
The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is back and will screen (hopefully) nationally from 29 September. The flagship event will showcase Italian culture, stories and language in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay at reduced capacity and then in Melbourne, when restrictions permit. The festival opens with a new live-action version of the…
Twenty-nine of Australia’s funny people get together – with five bands and lots of grog – to tell jokes. That’s That’s Not My Dog! in a nutshell. I am talking about the likes of Paul Hogan, Shane Jacobson, Jimeoin, Steve Vizard, Michala Banas, Fiona O’Louglin, Tim Ferguson, Lehmo, Ed Kavalee, Paul Fenech, Marty Fields, Hung Le and…
I never cease to be amazed at the beauty, and dramatic strength of the Bangarra Dance Theatre with its ingenious blending of traditional indigenous movement and modern dance. Lore was no exception. The energy and skill of the troupe and the creation of storytelling with music and dance, which is done superbly and with great…
Many comics seem to be insecure, unhappy, lonely. They turn to comedy as a way of dealing with their emotional pain, and they often use humour as a defence mechanism. And this the plight of the heroine in Funny Cow. This unapologetically bleak tale follows a damaged woman trying to make it in the male-dominated…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 11 August 2023. The story of Cordovas is one of rock ’n’ roll seekers, hammering away in search of not only their ideal freewheeling sound, but also for some greater truth about the human experience. Lead-singer Joe Firstman, with…
French cinema is possibly best known for its compelling personal dramas. But you’d have to say it’s not really associated with wacky screwball comedy – at least outside France. But that’s exactly what acclaimed director François Ozon delivers with The Crime is Mine. The situation is a bit of an odd one, because comedies apparently…
Damian Chazelle made a splash with 2014’s Whiplash, and now he takes a headlong dive into the deep end of the Hollywood pool with La La Land. This brilliantly conceived and handsomely executed paean to the Dream Factory is definite Oscar-bait and will also win a strong following from everyday moviegoers who should respond to…
A ponderous ode to sad sacks the world over, The Lovers really doesn’t start to resonate at all until nearly four-fifths of it is done and dusted. By that stage you are utterly convinced that watching grass grow is a whole lot more interesting. The Lovers concerns a middle-aged husband and wife, each embroiled in…
Wittenoom, the former town and declared contaminated site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was, in short, a death trap. During the 1950s and early ‘60s, it was Australia’s only supplier of deadly blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966. Wittenoom, the play – a work of fiction – uncovers just how toxic an…
